As thousands of kids prepare to hit the streets dressed as Labubus, pop stars and monsters on Halloween, local authorities are sharing tips to keep trick-or-treaters safe as they grow their candy bounties.
Despite often-viral claims of Halloween candy laced with drugs, metal or other dangers, pedestrian safety is a primary concern for health care professionals, said Helen Arbogast, who leads the injury prevention program at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
Kids, especially ages 4 to 12, are more likely to be hit and killed or injured by vehicles on Halloween compared to other days of the year, and hospitals like CHLA see an uptick of pedestrian injuries on Halloween.
“It’s a busy time, but it’s late in the day and you have some of the less practiced pedestrians on the road,” Arbogast said. “We do see a fair amount of children who are hit by cars, who have falls, they might trip.”
Despite claims that spread each year of Halloween candy laced with drugs or metal, road safety should be top of mind for families taking kids trick-or-treating, experts say.
Before they hit the neighborhood dressed as Labubus, pop stars and monsters this Halloween, experts say families should take some steps to keep their trick-or-treaters safe.
Kids, especially ages four to 12, are more likely to be hit and killed or injured by vehicles on Halloween compared to other days of the year, and hospitals like the Children’s Hospital of L.A. see an uptick of pedestrian injuries on Halloween.
“It’s a busy time, but it’s late in the day and you have some of the less practiced pedestrians on the road,” said Helen Arbogast, who leads the injury prevention program at CHLA. “We do see a fair amount of children who are hit by cars, who have falls, they might trip.”
There are many ways families can reduce this risk, including making their trick-or-treaters more visible, Arbogast said.
Adults can carry flashlights, put reflective stickers on children’s costumes and accessories and place glow sticks in candy bags or give them to kids as necklaces and bracelets. When she takes her family and another trick or treating, Arbogast said she’ll be wearing a yellow vest with reflective patches with all the adults in the group carrying flashlights and surrounding the kids as they walk.
When Sgt. Nick Jensen with Garden Grove police supervises his kids and others on Halloween, he makes sure there’s an adult in the front and back of the group, each with a flashlight to help drivers see them and to look for obstacles in dimly lit yards and driveways.
Everyone in Jensen’s party has to travel together. They go to each home as a group and don’t move on to the next until an adult has done a head count.
“Keep them kind of on a short leash, per se, cause kids, they’re kids,” said Officer Ryan Railsback with Riverside police. “They like to dart out in traffic, and they get distracted really quick.”
When his kids were of trick-or-treating age, Railsback said he’d plan a route in advance and had an idea of how long it would take. His kids knew not to knock on a door unless he was with them. He encouraged parents to go up with their younger kids, but said those with older kids could also supervise from a sidewalk where they have a view of the door.
Parents should educate their kids on traffic safety, especially if they don’t often walk at night, Arbogast said. Talk to them about looking both ways when they cross the street, only crossing at corners and marked intersections, making eye contact with drivers before crossing and looking for headlights or backup lights, she said.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Arbogast said some families have also started driving next to their children who are trick-or-treating. She recommended adults walk with kids, so that they can get out in their community, get active and learn pedestrian safety through practice.
“When you get to an intersection, don’t do the work for them,” Arbogast said. “Don’t look both ways and not teach them to look both ways, because if they’re walking with you and they’re relying on you to do all the safety components, when they’re alone, they’re not going to know what to do.”
With middle and high schoolers using e-bikes and e-scooters more and more, Arbogast said families also need to keep an eye out for riders. She encouraged parents to tell older kids to trick-or-treat on foot, as e-bikes and e-scooters are often quieter than cars and ridden on sidewalks even though street legal ones can reach speeds of up to 28 miles per hour.
Drivers should slow down between about 5 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and be especially vigilant, turning down music and other distractions and keeping lights on while driving on the road or entering and exiting driveways, Arbogast said.
“Even as you’re coming home from work and ready to get to dinner,” Arbogast said, “be thinking about other families that may have started trick or treating.”
There have been few credible cases of candy tampering in the past, Arbogast said, but she encouraged parents to still check their kids’ candy once they get home to make sure everything is properly wrapped and sealed.
In terms of costumes, Arbogast said parents should check that their kids’ costumes fit properly and won’t create tripping hazards. She also recommended using makeup rather than masks to improve visibility. Anaheim police urged families not to let their kids carry prop guns or other weapons that could be mistaken for real ones.
Jensen encouraged adults going to Halloween parties to have a designated driver or use rideshare if they’re planning to drink or use other substances.