Nothing is scarier on Halloween than a trip to the emergency room. As families prepare to tour their neighborhoods for a fun-filled night, UCLA Health pediatrician Dr. Kiran Masood provides important safety tips to ensure Halloween is a fun-filled, safe experience.
Pedestrian safety:
Halloween poses significant risks when it comes to pedestrian accidents for trick-or-treaters walking around their neighborhoods.
- Go with your kids. Children under 10 should trick-or-treat with an adult.
- Look both ways before crossing at designated crosswalks.
- Minimize cellphone distractions when walking.
- Avoid walking between parked vehicles.
Weather safety:
It is predicted to be a rainy Halloween across Los Angeles this year, which can lead to decreased visibility and slippery roads and sidewalks. To help reduce weather hazards, you can take the below precautions:
- Wear bright colors, reflective lights or glo sticks to help increase their visibility in the dark and rain.
- Carry flashlights to help see better in the dark.
- Do not wear accessories that can obstruct vision, like masks or non-prescription contact lenses, or that can be a tripping hazard, like oversized shoes or long capes.
- Neighbors can help by turning on their outside lights to help increase visibility for families on the street.
E-bike and e-scooter safety:
With busy roads, increased foot traffic, and dark and rainy conditions, Halloween is not the best time for children to ride electronic bikes or scooters.
- Parents should discourage their children from riding e-bikes or scooters.
- In California, riders under 18 must wear a helmet on any e-bike or e-scooter, and e-scooters require a driver’s license or permit. Even where riding is legal, Halloween night combines darkness, rain, and crowds of children on foot, which are the conditions linked to the most serious youth e-bike crashes in California.
- Drivers should keep their distance from e-bikes and e-scooters to help avoid accidents.
