Boo! : Safety Comes First

With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, authorities are warning party-goers and parents of trick-or-treaters to take extra precautions.

More than the usual number of drunk drivers are expected, and police are planning extra sobriety checkpoints on San Diego County roads tonight.

Authorities encourage parents to choose costumes for their children in light or bright colors that can be seen by drivers. Reflective tape should be added to costumes, shoes and treat bags.

Parents of teen-agers should be sure where their children are going and how they plan to get home, Mothers Against Drunk Driving spokeswoman Cynthia Roark said. There is reason for caution: More than 43% of deaths for young people 16 to 20 years old are caused by motor vehicle crashes, and half of those deaths are alcohol-related.

Students may call for a free ride home with the Safe Rides program. The drivers are teen-age volunteers who will take youths under 18 home, not just on Halloween, but every Friday and Saturday night of the year.

Safe Rides is confidential. Collect calls are accepted. For rides in these areas, call:

Point Loma, 222-SAFE.

Mission Valley, 569-7000.

North Coast, 755-9358.

North County Inland, 486-3000.

East County, 463-3400.

In other Halloween happenings, several local hospitals have offered to X-ray candy collected by trick-or-treaters--even though San Diego County has historically had completely clean candy.

Health officials still suggest that, to be safe, parents look through all the treats for signs of tampering, and throw away any pieces without original wrapping.

To report candy that appears to have been tampered with, call the San Diego police at 525-8468. The poison center’s number is 543-6000. The hospitals offering checkups for Halloween treats are:

Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, Saturday 2-11 p.m., 6655 Alvarado Road. Grossmont Hospital, Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5555 Grossmont Center Drive. Villa View Community Hospital, Saturday from noon to 11:30 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. noon, 5500 University Ave.

Halloween also is the night for the annual United Nations Children’s Fund fund-raising campaign for UNICEF projects worldwide.