What’s really scary about Hallowe’en?

NEW YORK—Hey mom and dad: Halloween’s not really all that scary—except when it comes to traffic safety.
Despite warnings about tainted candy, candle fires, and even child abductions, real Hallowe’en headlines rarely are about any of those things.

Instead, tragedies related to the holiday typically involve trick-or-treaters hit by cars.
Fortunately, even those accidents are relatively few in number.
And here’s something that might surprise you. A study published in 2010 in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found that the most emergency room visits involving children around Hallowe’en are related to sports.
The report stated nearly 18 percent of injuries on Hallowe’en were to the finger and hand, and a third of those were lacerations, with some likely resulting from pumpkin-carving.
But the report added that “a much higher proportion of injuries that occurred on Hallowe’en were associated with sports, including football and basketball, than with knives.”
Which is not to say parents should spend Oct. 31 relaxing (are parents ever allowed to relax?) Obviously, you need to know where kids are, monitor candy hauls, and make sure they can see out of their masks and won’t trip on their costumes.
But here are some statistics to provide a reality check on what’s really scary about Hallowe’en:
•Tainted candy
Of course you should examine goodies and make sure kids avoid treats that aren’t sealed.∑But know this:
“There isn’t any case of a child killed or injured from a contaminated treat picked up in the course of trick-or-treating,” according to Joel Best, a professor at the University of Delaware who has researched the subject extensively.
Best said there have been more than 100 reports of tainted treats going back to 1958, but they include a father who poisoned his child to collect insurance money, incidents where someone gave out booby-trapped goodies but nobody was injured, and cases where kids had food allergies.
•Car accidents
According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, in every year but one between 2006 and 2010, more pedestrians under the age of 21 were killed by cars on Oct. 31 than on Oct. 30 or Nov. 1.
The numbers are small: a total of 16 deaths took place on Oct. 31 during those five years, compared to 11 on Oct. 30 and 10 on Nov. 1.
But a quick survey of news stories from 2011 suggests traffic safety on Hallowe’en is one area where parental vigilance is warranted.
Last year, children and teenagers trick-or-treating or heading to Hallowe’en parties were injured or killed in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Egg Harbor Township, N.J., Bolivar, Texas, Lower Allen Township, Pa., and Colorado Springs, Colo.
Most cases involved pedestrians hit while crossing streets or walking along roads; one case resulted in a drunk-driving arrest.
In another case, parents were injured along with their child.
One way to increase pedestrian visibility on Hallowe’en is to have kids carry a flashlight or glowstick, or add glow-in-the-dark necklaces or reflective tape to costumes.
•Know where your children are
Statistically, it’s rare for children to be kidnapped by strangers, but it seems like there’s always a case in the news.
In the last few weeks, a girl was found murdered in Colorado and another child was abducted, then found, in Wyoming.
So it’s understandable that Hallowe’en makes parents nervous, with kids out after dark, sometimes unaccompanied by parents, often approaching strangers to ask for candy.
Obviously, parents should keep track of kids, stay in touch by cellphone with teens, and make sure younger children have adult supervision.
But perhaps you’ll find this reassuring. There is no data to suggest an increase in reports of missing children on Hallowe’en, according to the U.S. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
•Fire
Candles often are used for spooky decor and to light pumpkins. Be mindful if kids in billowy costumes are nearby.
But the fact is, according to Dr. John Hall, division director of the U.S. National Fire Protection Association, “there is no localized spike in reported fire injuries around Hallowe’en.”