Halloween Reminders for Parents
The Californer/10255601

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Californer -- Children are twice as likely to die from getting hit by a car on Halloween, and nut allergies are also a reason children end up in the ER each year. Here are some more statistics and a professional quote as you write about the dangers of driving and supervising children on Halloween:

• The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates an average of 3,200 Halloween-related injuries happen every year.
• 55% are related to pumpkin carving.
• 25% are due to falls while working with decorations, tripping on costumes and walking while trick or treating.
• 20% are miscellaneous situations like lacerations, ingestions, and other injuries related to costumes, pumpkins, decorations, allergic reactions and rashes.
• 46% were under 18 years old.
• 10% were kids 6 and younger.
• Candles and electrical cords/plugs were associated with an annual average of 5,600 and 1,600 fires, respectively, from 2017 through 2019.
• Children have a greater chance of being fatally injured by a car on Halloween than any other day of the year.
• There is an average of 5.5 fatalities each year on October 31.
• Over 70% of the accidents occurred away from an intersection or crosswalk.
• 32% of the fatalities occurred with children ages 12-15
• 23% of the fatalities occurred with children ages 5-8.
• Drivers age 15-25 accounted for nearly 1/3 of all fatal accidents involving child pedestrians on Halloween.
• According to the NHTSA, 44% of all crashes resulting in a fatality on Halloween night involved a drunk driver.
• During Halloween night (6 p.m. October 31 to 5:59 a.m. November 1) during the years 2016-2020, there were 129 people killed in drunk-driving crashes.

Professional Quote

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"Safety is a great concern on Halloween, as it should be," says Michael Orefice, SVP of Operations at SmartFinancial (https://smartfinancial.com/), an insurance-comparison website. "Car insurance rates are already rising. The last thing you want to do is to see your rate grow exponentially due to drunk driving or, even worse yet, for hitting a child pedestrian who suddenly darts out into the middle of the street. Extreme vigilance and care must be taken if you have no choice but to drive on Halloween. Using rideshare services are highly encouraged if you plan to drink alcoholic beverages. Checking a child's candy is also very important, to make sure it's untampered, and, if that child has any known allergies, it could be life-threatening. Fires are also a real concern on Halloween due to decorations, candles and jack-o'-lanterns so be vigilant of lit candles or use battery-operated ones instead and buy costumes that are not flammable."

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