No costume you see or haunted house you visit on Halloween night could be as scary as a trip to the Emergency Department (ED).

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children are most frequently taken to the ED on Halloween night for eye injuries, flammable costumes and car collisions. Children are twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year, according to Children’s Hospital Colorado. And with an estimated 41 million children trick-or-treating and celebrating this beloved holiday across the nation, it is vital to keep them protected in every way we can.

Having a fun, worry-free Halloween is possible, and it starts with you establishing rules in your household, always keeping safety at top of mind — whether you have a young child, a teenager or just want to be a thoughtful community member.

Here are a few tips Prowers Medical Center has to offer to help make this Halloween night focused on fun and without fear of an ED visit.

Check Costumes

Encourage your children to choose a costume that doesn’t set them up for trips or falls. Wearing long capes, gowns or masks can cause tripping, whether on a staircase or over a bump in the sidewalk, so work with your child to find a costume that is deemed safe by you.

Also, be sure to forego any awkward or non-flexible props and help make your children more visible by putting reflective tape on the back of their costume, or by having them carry a flashlight or glow stick.

“The most common Halloween-related accidents we see are trips and falls, usually associated with inappropriate costumes that are too long or awkward, or poor vision due to dark streets and no flashlight,” said Leslie Day, Emergency Department Clinical Manager at Prowers Medical Center.

Day encourages parents to pin up costumes that are too long and to insist on sturdy, slip-resistant shoes. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) suggests parents check to ensure any costume fabric, wigs and/or beards are made of flame-resistant materials — you never know which houses may have traditional, fire-lit candles in the Jack-O-Lanterns on their porch.

Set Safety Rules

The most important thing you can do to protect your children on Halloween night is to talk to them. Establish general safety rules a few days before the holiday that will make you feel more comfortable, such as requiring your children to stay in neighborhoods they know, or to always stay on the sidewalk when walking at night. Review these rules on the night of Halloween, before your children head out for the night.

It’s recommended to have older children trick-or-treat in groups and to practice watching for lit brake-lights for cars backing out of driveways. Reinforce the “stranger danger” concept on Halloween night — tell your children to not visit homes without the porchlight on, to never accept a ride, even if they recognize the driver as an acquaintance or neighbor, and to never go inside someone’s home. For additional safety measures, you can send your child off with a school ID or an ID card with your emergency number on it.

If you have younger children, always accompany them on their trick-or-treating route, even if in your own neighborhood.

Wait for Candy Consumption

Candy is the highlight of Halloween for most children, and though most community members have good intentions, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

“Talk about safety with candy and have your kids only accept wrapped or packaged candy,” Day explained. “Make it a rule that you check the candy before they start eating it.”

Any opened candy should be thrown out immediately, as well as any candy that is not wrapped in its original wrapper or appears to have been tampered with.

“Pay attention to labels. Edible marijuana and related products are becoming more common and can resemble food that looks harmless,” according to the ACEP. “You don’t want to accidentally ingest, or let a child ingest, something with a harmful substance in it that could easily be mistaken for a common cookie or brownie.”

Be a Thoughtful Driver

Expect a lot of foot traffic on Halloween night between the hours of 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., so slow down your driving and be more alert than usual. Day reminds adults to use caution while driving to avoid darting kids and to be extra aware on any dark or poorly lit backstreets. Also, ensure you watch for children at intersections and on medians and curbs.

If things do go awry this Halloween for you and your family, the experienced Emergency Department team at Prowers Medical Center will be on-site to help. Contact us today for more information at 719-336-6735. For any immediate emergencies, always call 911.