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Keeping Halloween safe when it comes to cars

DENVER – Ghosts, goblins and monsters will soon walk Colorado neighborhoods in search of candy. While Halloween is a time for fun and treats, it’s also a night full of dangerous situations.

A child is four times more likely to be hit and killed by a car on “beggar’s night” than any other time, said Dawne Gardner, injury prevention coordinator at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

“Kids are so excited, and they’re darting across the street, and they’re really not paying attention and there are more cars out, and more kids out, and it’s dark and costumes are dark,” she said, “so we defiantly see an increased number of pedestrian injuries, pedestrian deaths.”

Gardner said children should be reminded of the rules of crossing the street and to only travel in familiar areas. Those under the age of 12 should trick-or-treat with an adult, she said, and it’s also a good idea to make sure kids are visible to drivers by having them carry a flashlight or by putting reflective tape on their costumes.

When it comes to the costume, Gardner said, things to keep in mind include proper fit.

“Costumes that are too big cause a trip hazard,” she said. “We would prefer makeup instead of masks just because it can cover a child’s eyes, and then also making sure that the costumes are non-flammable so that if they happen to brush up against maybe a jack-o-lantern, they don’t catch fire.”

Gardner said kids need to eat before they head out so they don’t try to binge on candy before it can be checked by an adult at home. Her advice is for parents to carry their own bag of candy with them while trick-or-treating.

“That way, if they get hungry on the way, you can feed them from that bag, the bag of candy that you know and that gives you time to then go home and check the candy that they have,” she said.

With Halloween falling on a weekend, Gardner said, it’s especially important this year to talk to children about safety.

“This year’s supposed to be nice,” she said, “Kids are eager, it’s Friday, there’s no school on Saturday, so they will be out, they will be excited, they’ll be less likely to follow some of the rules if we’re not reminding them.”



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