The scariest thing about trick-or-treating isnât spooky costumes, cheek-pinching neighbors or potentially going home with a bag full of candy corn and Raisinets â itâs the traffic. According to the Utah Department of Healthâs Violence and Injury Prevention Program, kids are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and die on Halloween than any other day of the year. To ensure that doesnât happen, and to help you avoid other dangers, we spoke with the programâs communication coordinator, Katie McMinn, to get her Halloween safety advice. Even if you think you know it all already, a quick review could mean a happy Halloween away from the ER.
Trick-or-treating âWhen kids are trick-or-treating, they should never go alone. They should always have an adult with them and always go to familiar areas,â McMinn says. âGo to houses where you know the people who live there, and where the lights are on as a sign of welcome to trick-or-treat.â In addition, McMinn says parents shouldnât allow kids to enter a home unless they go in with them and know the residents. (Weâve all seen Criminal Minds, right?) While walking through the neighborhood, she says to cross at crosswalks, since drivers are more likely to be distracted, and to go earlier, when itâs still light out, if possible. If youâre deemed totally uncool and an embarrassment to older children who still want to go trick-or-treating, McMinn recommends mapping out a route with them beforehand, so you know where theyâll be getting their candy with their friends.
Costumes
Drivers Halloween safety is the responsibility of drivers as well. McMinn says to drive slowly during trick-or-treating hours and to anticipate heavier pedestrian traffic. Since many wear dark costumes at night, youâll want to make sure youâre paying extra attention. (Not going for another pumpkin ale before heading home will help, too.)
Candy While those razor blades you heard about may be urban myths, McMinn says to still check out your kidâs Halloween treats. âQuickly glancing over your kidâs candy is always a good thing, because you never know what people are handing out,â says McMinn, adding that itâs wise to stay away from home-baked goods, since theyâre not FDA-approved. McMinn says she knows many parents who discard candies with unwrapped or torn wrappers â for health and safetyâs sake, not a bad idea.
Parties & Events Before teens go off to party, McMinn says parents should talk to them about the dangers of drinking and drugs, and to let them know they can call home if they run into any problems. So, you know, actually parent them.
To avoid many trick-or-treating risks altogether, she recommends looking into trunk-or-treats and other events cities and community centers put on. Of course, you can also opt for one of the events on our list of not-so-scary ways to celebrate Halloween.
Visit the Violence and Injury Prevention Programâs website for more tips.
Read more of our family content in our Kid-friendly blog roll.