Halloween is finally here, which means many people will be going out this weekend until Tuesday, the official day of Halloween.
Indiana University Public Safety Director for Environmental and Public Health, Graham McKeen, shared tips for students to stay safe over Halloweekend. McKeen suggested that knowing your resources is important for students who plan on going out for Halloweekend.
“Just trust your instincts,” Mckeen said. “Making sure you have emergency numbers and contacts available to you is so important.”
People can contact the IU Police Department’s non-emergency line at 812-855-4111 and the Bloomington Police Department non-emergency line at 812-339-4477.
Here are some other tips to stay safe while having fun:
Choose your costume wisely
Dressing for the weather is so important. Even just adding tights under a skirt or adding a long sleeve shirt under your costume can help keep you warm during the chilly October weather. The weather will range from 49° to 77° this weekend and is predicted to be as low as 29° on Halloween.
Wear something you can move in. Everyone wants to wear fun and intricate costumes on Halloween, but if you cannot move around or have fun in it what is the point? Choose comfort over anything.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released an article about safety tips regarding costume safety. Some of the tips included testing the makeup you plan to use in advance in case of rashes or swelling, making sure your costume is not long enough to make you trip or fall while walking and wearing makeup or hats instead of masks because they can obscure your vision.
Drink responsibly
Drinking water in between drinks can help you stay hydrated and avoid getting too drunk.
Eating plenty of food, or even candy, will also help you remain alert throughout the night so you can remain safe.
Do not accept a drink from someone you do not know. Also avoid drinking something that you or a friend left unattended. It might feel wasteful dumping out a semi-full drink, but your safety is worth more than that drink.
Have friends around
Use the buddy system when going out for Halloweekend. Make sure that you and your friends are never alone and know where each other are.
Sharing your location can be extremely helpful during big weekends like Halloween Weekend. So many people are planning to go out, and it will be easy to lose your friends in a crowd or when you are walking somewhere. Keeping your phone charged will also help with getting a hold of your friends if you happen to lose track of them or vice versa.
Plan transportation
Have a plan with your transportation. Whether you and your friends plan on walking, Ubering or driving this weekend, you should have a plan set before you leave.
IU Ride offers free rides within the city limits of Bloomington. Their hours are 8 p.m. to 1:45 a.m. daily, so do not choose to walk home in the dark when you do not have to. They also offer the Lyft service from midnight to 3 a.m. nightly with $6.50 off rides for IUB students.
