New Temporary License Plates

You may have noticed a new license plate on new vehicles driving around since the new year.  This is the new California Temporary Plate. California dealerships are now required to place a temporary license plate on vehicles sold after January 1, 2019. The new plate will assist law enforcement in identifying vehicles and will assist authorities with toll evasion violations on our roads. The new plate is valid for 90 days from the date of sale. "This new law does not affect private party sales..." per the DMV website.

If a temporary license plate is expired or not displayed on a vehicle as required, the violation is subject to citation.

DMV has additional information available on their website.

Halloween Safety Tips

Tips for a Safe Halloween

Halloween can be a fun holiday for kids, but a worrisome one for parents. Concerns about children's safety--whether they are out in the neighborhood or back home with bags of booty--can darken the day more quickly than a black cat. But not to worry! To make Halloween a treat, follow these safety tips.

ADULTS

• Welcome trick-or-treaters with your porch lights and any exterior lights on.
• Patrol your street occasionally to discourage speeding motorists, acts of malicious mischief and crimes against children.
• Report any suspicious or criminal activity to your police department immediately.   
• Do not give homemade or unwrapped treats to children.

MOTORISTS

• Exercise extreme caution when driving a vehicle.  Be on the alert for excited youngsters, whose vision may be obscured by masks, darting out into traffic.

TRICK OR TREAT TIPS

Make sure your kids dress up safely

• Make sure costumes are flame retardant so children aren't in danger near burning jack-o-lanterns.
• Keep costumes short to prevent trips, falls, and other bumps in the night.
• Try make-up instead of a mask. Masks can be hot and uncomfortable, and they can obstruct a child's vision, a dangerous thing when kids are crossing streets and going up and down steps.
• Make sure kids wear light colors or put reflective tape on their costumes.

Make trick-or-treating trouble free

• Create a map of a safe trick-or treating route and set a time limit for your children to "trick-or-treat".
• Trick-or-treaters should always be in groups so they aren't a tempting target for real-life goblins. Parents should accompany young children.
• Make sure older kids trick-or-treat with friends. Together, map out a safe route so you will know where they are going. Tell them to stop only at familiar homes where the outside lights are on.
• Try to get your kids to trick-or-treat while it's still light out. If it's dark, make sure someone has a flashlight and pick well-lighted streets.
• Do not go inside anyone’s home. Remain on the porch at all times.
• Do not accept rides from strangers.
• Remind kids to keep a safe distance from moving cars.
• Cross only at street corners, never between parked cars, and never diagonally across an intersection.
• Look in all directions before crossing the street, and obey all traffic signals. Walk, never run, across the street, and use sidewalks, not the street, for walking.
• Do not take shortcuts through back yards, alleys or parks.
• Do not eat any treats until parents have inspected them.
• Discard any homemade or unwrapped treats.

Check all treats before eating

• It's hard for kids to hold back from eating their treats until they get home. One way to keep trick-or-treaters from digging in while they're still out is to feed them a meal or a snack beforehand.
• Check out all candy in a well-lighted place when your trick-or-treater gets home.
• What to eat? Only unopened candies and other treats that are in original wrappers. Don't forget to inspect fruit and homemade goodies for anything suspicious. By all means remind kids not to eat everything at once or they'll be feeling pretty ghoulish for while!
• Halloween can be a lot of fun for parents and kids alike--if everybody remembers the tricks and treats of playing it safe.

COSTUMES etc:

A note to parents:

• Make sure your children’s costumes are not flammable.
• Do not permit your children to wear cumbersome, floor length or vision-impairing costumes.
• Reflectorized stripes make your costume more visible.
• In lieu of masks, we recommend face make up.
• Wear comfortable, safe shoes.
• Call 9-1-1 if you suspect any tainted candy.

Consejos para un Halloween seguro

La celebración de “Halloween” puede ser muy divertido para los niños, pero inquietante para los padres. Las preocupaciones sobre la seguridad de los niños  - ya si están afuera en la vecindad o en casa con sus bolsas de dulce – pueden oscurecer la noche más rápido que un gato negro. Pero no hay que preocuparse!  Para tener un Halloween feliz, sigan los siguientes consejos de seguridad:

ADULTOS

·       Dar la bienvenida a los niños en disfraz  con las luces del exterior de su casa prendidas.

·       Patrullar sus calles ocasionalmente para disuadir a los conductores que manejan a alta velocidad, a los actos de comportamiento maliciosos y los delitos contra los niños.

·       Reportar cualquier actividad criminal o sospechosa al departmento de policía inmediatamente.   

·       Nunca se regala dulces hechos en casa o sin envolver.

CONDUCTORES

• Tengan mucho cuidado manejando su vehículo. Esten alertos para los jovencitos emocionados que tal vez ya tengan la vista obstruida por mascaras.  

CONSEJOS PARA RECOGER DULCES

Asegurar que sus niños esten vestidos de manera segura

·       Asegurar que el disfraz sea resistente al las llamas de fuego para que los ninos no esten en peligro cuando se acercan a las linternas de calabaza.

·       Mantener los disfraces cortos de la bastilla para prevenir caidas y tropiezos.

·       Intenar usar maquillaje en vez de una mascara. Las mascaras pueden causar calor y ser incómodas. También pueden obstruir la vista del niño y puede causar peligro al cruzar la calle y al subir escalones.

·       Asegurar que niños traigan puesto colores claros o cinta reflectiva sobre sus disfraces.

Recogiendo dulces sin algún problema

·       Crear un mapa de la ruta mas segura para recoger dulces y establecer un límite de tiempo que sus niños puedan estar fuera.

·       Los niños siempre deberán estar en grupos. Padres deben acompañar a los niños pequeños.

·       Asegurar que niños mayores recogan dulces con sus amigos. Juntos, hagan su mapa de la ruta mas segura para que usted sepa donde van a estar. Decirle a los niños que solamente paren en las casas que tienen sus luces exteriores encendidas.

·       Tratar de recoger dulces cuando todavía hay luz afuera si es posible.Si está oscuro, asegurar que alguien tenga una linterna y que escogan calles con bastante luz.

·       Nunca entrar la casa de la persona que reparte dulces. Mantenerse en la entrada de la casa solamente.

·       Nunca aceptar un paseo en coche con un desconocido.

·       Recordar a los niños que mantengan una distancia segura de los coches en movimiento.

·       Cruzar las calles solamente en las esquinas, nunca entre coches estacionados y nunca diagonalmente a dentro una intersección.

·       Mirar en todas direcciones antes de cruzar la calle y obedecer las leyes de tráfico. Caminar, nunca correr, al cruzar la calle y usar la banqueta para caminar.

·       Nunca tomar vías cortas por las yardas, callejones, o parques.

·       Nunca comer dulces hasta que un adulto los revise.

·       Deshacerse de todos dulces hechos en casa o sin envoltura.

Revisar todos los dulces antes de comer

·       Es difícil que los niños puedan resistir comerse los dulces hasta llegar a casa. Una manera que pueda ayudar es dandoles de cenar antes de salir a recoger dulces.

·       Revisar todo los dulces en un lugar bien iluminado cuando su niño llegue a casa.

·       ¿Que se puede comer? Solamente los dulces que se mantienen en su envoltura original.

·       Halloween puede ser muy divertido para los niños y los padres si todos se acuerdan de usar estos consejos de seguridad.

DISFRACES etc:

·       Asegurar que el disfraz de su niño sea resistente a las llamas de fuego

·       No permitir que su niño se vista en disfraz demasiado largo o que obstruya la vista.

·       Rayas reflectantes hacen que el disfraz sea mas visible.

·       En vez de mascaras, se recomienda maquillaje.

·       Usar zapatos comodos y seguros.

·       Llamar at 9-1-1 de inmediato si sospecha dulces contaminados

Can you believe it’s back to school time already? Take a minute to read these 5 safety tips for drivers!

Where did the summer go? With children heading back to school during the week of August 20th, this will undoubtedly affect the morning and afternoon traffic flow as people acclimate themselves back into their routines. We at the Redwood City Police Department wanted to share these safety reminders with you.

1. Watch your speed in school zones! Be aware that school zone speed limits may vary in hours and speeds. Be sure to follow the posted limits and expect traffic delays for the first week.

2. Slow down in residential areas. Watch for children crossing the street and congregating near bus stops.

3. Do not pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children. Traffic in both directions on undivided highways must stop when students are entering or exiting a school bus (the red flashing lights and extended stop sign arms are your cue to stop). On a divided roadway, all traffic behind the school bus must stop.

4. Be alert! The area 10 feet around a school bus is where children are in the most danger of being hit. Children walking to and from their bus are usually very comfortable with their surroundings and more likely to take risks, ignore hazards, or fail to look both ways when crossing the street.

5. Always stop when directed to do so by a school patrol sign, school patrol officer, or designated crossing guard.

For more tips on school safety, check out our School Safety Video https://vimeo.com/229781213 And the National Safety Council's Back to School Safety Checklist: https://bit.ly/2KIPh8T.