Clarksville, TN – Clarksville Police Department’s officers will be out in abundance in an effort to ensure Trick-or-Treaters, as well as those celebrating the fall tradition of Halloween, have a safe and enjoyable time.

There will be over 30 officers on the streets patrolling through your neighborhoods and on the roadways around Clarksville on Halloween. We’ve listed some recommendations of things you can do to make Halloween safer for everyone.

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Paisley (5), Crispin (4), and Alessandra (9) were singing the Halloween song for Mark Williams and the neighbor son John (6) during Halloween last year.

Halloween should be a fun time for all involved. But, unfortunately it can also be a dangerous and deadly time due to impaired driving.

According to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, there have been close 5,000 traffic fatalities during Halloween between 1996-2005. 44 percent of those fatalities involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher which is illegal in every state.

For a safer Halloween weekend, the Clarksville Police Department recommends these simple tips:

• Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin.
• Before drinking, designate a sober driver and give that person your keys.
• If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation to get home safely.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement.

Clarksville Police Department offers some hints to keep the Trick-or-Treaters safe:

• Know your treater’s route.
• Take a flashlight or glow sticks.
• Check costumes from head to toe to ensure their safety.  Make sure fake knives, guns, swords, etc. don’t have any sharp edges and cannot be mistaken for the real thing.
• Remind children not to enter a stranger’s home or car.
• Set rules about not eating treats until kids get home.  Inspect all treats before allowing children to eat them, especially homemade treats or fruits.
• Don’t cross the street between parked cars and remember drivers have a hard time seeing at dusk.  Reflective material on their “goody bags” can improve visibility
• Have children report any suspicious activity to the Police.

Make your home is trick-or-treater friendly:

• Turn on your porch light.
• Items which have an open flame (such as a Jack-O-Lantern) should be moved to an area a safe distance from where Trick-or-Treaters will be congregating.
• Remove objects which could be a hazard.
• Drive slowly. You never know who or what will run in front of you.  Kids may be excited and may not stop, look, and listen.
• Report suspicious or criminal activity to Police.