MedWatch- Keeping your children safe on Halloween from Medwatch 7 KSWO on Vimeo.
LAWTON, OK (KSWO)- A national publication reports that over a 21-year period 115 pedestrians under the age of 18 were killed on Halloween. Making the holiday by far the deadliest day of the year for young trick-or-treaters.
Comanche County Memorial Hospital pediatrician Laura White says there are things parents can do to make sure their children are safe when they go candy hunting on Halloween.
“It’s important that they be visible when it’s dark out,” said Dr. White. “So you can either use glow in the dark sticks to make a necklace or you could use glow in the dark paint or stickers to put on their trick or treating pail so that way they’re more visible to other people out trick or treating and to on coming drivers. And then if your older children are going to be trick or treating, without an adult, you definitely want to make sure that they are trick or treating in a group, and that at least one of the kids has a cell phone and then make sure they know to only go up to houses that have their porch light on and to not go down streets that are dark or through an alleyway.”
Since twice as many children are killed on Halloween compared to any other day of the year, it’s important for children to be visible and extra cautious while going house to house.
“Whenever you’re crossing the road, from house to house, make sure to try not to cross between parked cars so that way on coming drivers are able to see the kids,” said Dr. White.
Dr. White says if you’re going to be handing out candy, you’ll want to make sure your porch light is on and the area is safe for children, which means keeping a close eye on any pumpkins with open flames.
“Make sure that it is on top of a sturdy table and not sitting on the porch or a pathway where it could potentially get knocked over by another child or potentially catch somebody’s costume on fire,” said Dr. White.
Another thing parents should look out for is partially open candy. Parents should look through the candy and pull out anything that is not suitable for either the age of your child or if they have an allergy.
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