ORLANDO, Fla. – Thousands of children will be hitting the streets for trick-or-treating.
With Halloween fun expected to take over Central Florida on Thursday night, doctors and law enforcement officers are reminding parents and families to keep a close eye on your surroundings.
[RELATED: Why is trick-or-treating so dangerous for kids?]
News 6′s Lisa Bell spoke with Dr. Amber Teague with HCA Florida ahead of Halloween. She said there are other dangers parents should be on the lookout for, especially on the roads.
“The first of course, is just traffic safety,” Teague said. “Accident’s themselves are twice as likely to occur Halloween night.”
Teague said more families are out and about, and it’s easy for drivers to get distracted.
“Pedestrians versus actual motor vehicles, or bicycles versus motor vehicles, where the driver or the kids got distracted, and collided with each other. That can result in minor or very serious, life-threatening injuries,” Teague said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children are twice as likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than any other night of the year. Some ways to help prevent this is to wear reflective clothing, stay on sidewalks and use flashlights.
Besides the roadways and traffic concerns, Teague said the candy collected can be a huge safety hazard.
“Make sure the candy that your child is going to consume is a pre-packaged, manufactured candy. This is not the time to be trying the neighbor’s snack that they’ve hand-bagged, this is this is not the time to allow your kid to eat or enjoy any candy that’s not still properly packaged,” Teague said.
Law enforcement agencies across Central Florida are also taking the proper steps to ensure all children stay safe during the festivities and making sure sex offenders are obeying the rules.
Deputies in Marion and Flagler counties say they’ll be checking on offenders on probation, making sure they don’t have their lights on, have any decorations outside, or hand out any candy.
“Parents should follow this safety tip this Halloween: do not trick-or-treat at a house that doesn’t have its lights on. It could be that the residents don’t celebrate Halloween, are out of candy OR it could be a sexual predator/offender. So please help us keep your children safe and enjoy your holiday!” the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said.
So whether it’s the traffic, candy or goons, please be cautious in the fun.
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