The risk of child pedestrians (ages 4-8) being killed in a traffic accident is ten times higher on Halloween, according to a 2019 study published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics. Dr. Beth Ebel, a pediatrician and injury prevention expert at UW Medicine, stresses that the most important element of any Halloween costume is ensuring it’s visible.
“This is the fundamental issue. Is kids getting hit by cars in the dark of night. It’s very dark here, you know, as the as the times change. So as you’re planning costumes, think about ways to add lights to those costumes. Easy to do,” said Dr. Ebel. “Now think about ways to add reflective strips to the costumes. And also you can add it to the bag that kids are carrying their loot in super easy thing but it’s really the visibility of the kid if you can get anything on the back of the child as well as the front that is a score”
Other safety measures include:
- Placing reflective strips on costumes and candy bags
- Carrying glow sticks
- Being mindful that the back of any costume also needs to be visible
Ebel reminds parents that there’s also strength in numbers along the trick-or-treating route. “More kids together is always better,” said Ebel. “People pay attention to that larger group, and they slow down. It’s much better than a couple of kids darting across the street.” She recommends that children under the age of 12 be accompanied by a parent while trick-or-treating, while older kids should only visit familiar areas in their groups.
As your kids are out trick-or-treating this year, remind them to always stay in the light, travel in groups, and always look both ways before crossing the street.