It's Halloween and no doubt trick-or-treaters are going door to door in your neighborhood. Each year, law enforcement warns kids and parents to be safe. Meanwhile, drivers should slow down, especially in residential areas.
Dressed as ‘Monster High’ for Halloween, eight-year-old Mckayla Salazar could be coming to a door bell near you. Her mom says a group of about ten will go to the same neighborhood where they've been trick or treating for years.
“It's a safe place and the kids love going there. They love the candy that they give away there,” said Juana Salazar, a Clovis resident.
With thousands of kids on the roads, AAA offers these tips:
Walk in groups
Carry flashlights
Use face paint instead of masks
Motorists should drive slowly
“Please slow down. Kids are hard to see and they're very excited on Halloween night. They'll dart out from cars where you least expect them to be, they'll suddenly appear out of nowhere,” said Lt. Burke Farrah of the Fresno Police Department.
Fresno police say half of the fatal traffic accidents this year have involved pedestrians. Meanwhile, kids won't be the only ones going door to door. California parole agents are checking in on registered sex offenders. Agents ask parents to go online before they go out doors.
“Our operation boo parents guide allows parents to go in there and see, by using the Megan's Law web site, where the sexual predators live in their area or in the path where they might want to go trick-or-treating,” said Luis Patino, spokesperson for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Some families, like the Quinonez's, are staying inside.
“You don't know if there are any predators out there,” said Pauline Quinonez, a grandma.
Instead, her family has chosen to trick-or-treat at the mall.
“You're there with your child walking in there in a closed environment,” said Quinonez.
Extra police are on the roads all over the valley patrolling for drunk drivers.
