Gibbons Law Firm: 6 Scary Halloween Statistics

Halloween is one the most highly anticipated holidays among both children and adults. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most dangerous. A wide variety of dangers await children (and adults) on Halloween night. In order to keep your family safe, it is important to be realistic about the risks you face. Our personal injury attorney in Osage Beach MO is here to help you keep your family safe this Halloween.

Halloween Statistics

75% of parents admit to having fears about Halloween, but only 25% of parents talk to their children about Halloween safety every year.*
Child pedestrians are twice as likely to be killed by a car on Halloween night.*
12% of children ages 5 and under are allowed to trick-or-treat without adult supervision.*
Only 18% of parents use reflective tape on their children's costumes to make them more visible.*
Most major brands of Halloween face paint contain detectable amounts of lead.**
Drunk driving incidents skyrocket on Halloween. In 2015, over half of all driving fatalities that occurred on Halloween night involved a driver with blood alcohol content above 0.08%.***

* Source: SafeKids.org
** Source: Visual.ly
*** Source: TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov

Halloween Dangers

Many of the classic Halloween pastimes can pose significant risks for young children. As examples, children can get hurt by...

Cutting themselves while carving pumpkins.
Tripping and falling as a result of poorly fitting costumes.
Burning themselves with the candles in jack o'lanterns.
Injuring themselves with sharp costume props.

Keep your children safe by supervising their Halloween activities at all times.

Halloween Propaganda

Fortunately for parents, some highly publicized Halloween dangers actually pose very little risk to children. For example, many people talk about increased incidences of child molestation and kidnapping on Halloween night, but crime rates show us that these crime are no more likely to occur around Halloween than they are at any other time of the year. People also talk about households passing out Halloween candy that has been randomly laced with drugs or poison, but there are no reports of this actually happening. (There are reports of children consuming candy that is laced with drugs, but this typically happens when children get their hands on candy that was intended to be kept in an adult's private stash.)

Contact A Personal Injury Attorney For Representation

We sincerely hope you and your family stay safe this Halloween. Unfortunately, life is impossible to predict, and sometimes even the best precautions cannot prevent accidents from happening. If you or a loved one suffers an injury at the hands of another this Halloween, our personal injury lawyer at the Lake of the Ozarks will be here to defend your rights. Visit our website for more information about our personal injury representation in central Missouri.