Kids face real dangers on Halloween night. But not from ghosts, ghouls and goblins. Not even the frightening amounts of sugar in Halloween candy.
For parents, the scariest part of Halloween is the hidden hazards of sending your kids out to trick-or-treat at night.
The chaos-inducing combination of Halloween candy, costumes and carousing has actually made Halloween night one of the most dangerous for children age 14 and younger.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four times as many children are killed by cars from 4 pm through 10 pm on Halloween night than any other night of the year.
Kids are at greater risk simply because they’re more likely to be walking or running in the streets after dark, darting out between parked cars, in masks, floppy hats and ill-fitting shoes that make it difficult for them to see and safely navigate curbs and corners. To make matters worse, their often dark costumes make it difficult for drivers to spot them.
Other Halloween-related injuries abound during the night – eye abrasions from sharp objects attached to masks or costumes, burns from flammable costumes ignited by candles and Jack O’ Lanterns and skin irritations from face paints, to name a few.
So, as Oct. 31 quickly approaches, we at Weiss Pediatric Care would like to urge drivers to take greater precautions when driving through their neighborhoods Halloween night, and remind parents of simple steps they can take to keep their little trick-or-treaters safe.
Here are some more Halloween Safety tips from The American Academy of Pediatrics: