To help everyone bring home treats — not tragedies — follow these tips for a safe Halloween:

• Focus on your driving.  A single distraction could lead to a tragedy.
• Stay well below the posted speed limit.
• Pay attention to what's happening on sidewalks and roadways. Watch for children darting across streets, especially between parked cars.
• Be extra alert when pulling in and out of driveways.
• Do not assume children can see you or are paying attention. You need to take that responsibility.
• Drivers should also check that all lights on their car work.
• Do not pass other vehicles that have stopped in the roadway. They could be dropping off children.
• If you're driving a group of children, but staying in the running vehicle at the curb, be sure to put on your hazard lights to alert other motorists.
• And if you're driving to a Halloween party, put that mask on after you park the car.

Parents can help motorists, too:

• Make sure drivers can see the children. Give them flashlights and glow sticks. Dress kids in bright, reflective clothing or use reflective tape on their costumes.
• Use makeup, rather than masks, so children have a clear, unobstructed view of their surroundings.
• Be sure children know how to cross a street -- look left, right and left again before crossing.
• Instruct children to stay on sidewalks and to cross only at corners or crosswalks.
• Accompany your children as they trick or treat.

Now is a good time to remind drivers to follow the 3 Point rule while getting in and out of their trucks.  During the winter months footing conditions are compromised and the chance of slipping or falling is increased.  The 3 Point rule is simply that you keep three out of four of your contact points (hands and feet) secured to keep from slipping or falling.  When exiting a truck , for example, one hand on the cab handle, one hand gripping interior door handle and one foot on a step while the other foot is in transition, by doing this you always maintain three points of contact.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is extending its previously issued COVID-19 exemption, which provides commercial drivers with additional time to renew their hazardous materials endorsement (HME).

The revised exemption is effective October 30, 2020, and remains in effect through December 31, 2020. The previous waiver was published on July 31, 2020, and was scheduled to expire on October 30, 2020.

Under this exemption, states may extend the expiration date of HMEs that expire on or after March 1, 2020, for 180 days, due to the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It may be impracticable for some commercial drivers to appear in-person at a state licensing agency or TSA enrollment center for the collection of fingerprints and applicant information as a part of TSA’s security threat assessment (STA) procedures. Without a new STA, TSA’s regulations prevent states from renewing or extending the expiration of a driver’s state-issued HME.

If a state grants an extension, a driver with an expired HME must initiate the process of renewing his or her STA for the HME no later than 60 days before the end of the state-granted extension. TSA needs at least 60 days to process a driver’s application for STA renewal once it is submitted.

Drivers with an HME should confirm state-specifics concerning any extensions.