Costumes get chosen under shop lighting and approved in a bedroom mirror. Neither place looks anything like a residential street after sunset, which is where most of them spend Halloween night. A black cape, a witch's dress, a ninja suit and a vampire coat all photograph well and nearly vanish at the edge of a driver's headlights. Plenty of the season's most requested looks are dark by design, and the parents buying them are rarely thinking about the walk between houses.
Visibility can be added without wrecking the look. Black reflective tape barely shows in daylight and lights up in headlights, and a few strips along the back of a cape, the hem of a skirt or the outside of each sleeve go a long way. Glow bracelets, LED strips sewn into a seam and light-up props do the same job with more style, and a wand, lightsaber or lantern can double as a flashlight. Shoes matter more than they get credit for, because a costume paired with slick soles turns a curb into a fall.
Masks are the other trouble spot. A full mask narrows side vision, which is the last thing a child stepping out between parked cars needs. Face paint or a half mask keeps the character and leaves the eyes clear. Long hems, trailing capes and oversized boots catch on steps and curbs, so pin or tuck them to ankle length for the walk and let the full drape come back for photos. Costume shops in October carry most of the quick fixes for this: safety pins, hem tape, elastic straps and makeup kits that cost less than a replacement mask.
Pedestrian guidance published by a local law firm lands in the same place as the costume advice. Tingey Injury Law Firm in Las Vegas, a personal injury firm, keeps a pedestrian accident page whose safety tips tell walkers to wear high-visibility clothing in dark areas and to assume a driver does not see them. That second line is worth teaching to any child old enough to cross a street alone in a costume. A family dealing with a collision on costume night might look at that page to see what it covers.
Before heading out, run a driveway test. Turn on the porch light, stand the kids at the end of the driveway, and look at them from the street with a phone flashlight held at roughly headlight height. Whatever disappears needs tape or a light. Hand the youngest a glow stick to carry, give older kids a route and a time to be home, and take the best costume photos before sunset, while the light still shows off the details.