Halloween is the spookiest night of the year – but the biggest risk to kids aren’t the ghosts and ghouls, but cars and ill-fitting costumes.

Medical experts have shared what they avoid every year for their own kids – urging parents to do the same to ensure it’s the safest Halloween possible.

While getting hurt on Halloween may sound like a hair-raising myth, thousands of people require medical attention every year due to injuries suffered on All Hallows’ Eve.

According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commissionan average of 3,200 people seek medical help for Halloween-related injuries every year.

They noted a whopping 1,400 of these injuries are suffered by children.

A 2022 press release by the CPSC reported more than half of the overall injuries sustained happened while carving pumpkins.

A quarter were due to falls while setting up decorations and 20 percent of Halloween-associated injuries were lacerations, ingestions and other injuries associated with costumes, pumpkins or decorations and allergic reactions or rashes.

To avoid a spooky trip to the emergency department, pediatric emergency doctors listed the seven things they never do when taking their kids out for Halloween.

Fail to pay attention while crossing streets

According to Safekids.org, children are twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween compared to any other day of the year.

Dr. Karen Goodman, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone, told Today the risk of an accident is amplified by the increased foot traffic and distractions on the road.

‘Remind kids not run out in the street from between cars or cut across driveways because these are areas where drivers may not expect to see child,’ added Dr. Lisa Gaw, a pediatrician with Texas Children’s Urgent Care.

Dr. Gaw said that children should always stay on sidewalks or paths and use designated crosswalks whenever possible.

Go out at night in dark costumes

Experts said it’s best to opt for brightly-colored costumes, or to make sure elements of them are visible in the dark.

If the costume is too dark, Dr. Gaw suggested adding glow sticks or strips of reflective tape to parts of it.

She reminded parents this can also be added to shoes or trick-or-treating bags so they’re visible – warning they also need to stand out for bikes and other pedestrians, as well as cars.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that the risk of pedestrian death was 43 percent higher on Halloween, and a 2019 study in JAMA Pediatrics found the highest relative risk was among children.

Trick-or-treat without a flashlight

As well as watching for cars in the dark, it’s vital kids can see where they’re going to avoid a scary tripping hazard.

Dr. Goodman suggested carrying a flashlight around – and urged parents to make sure it’s being used.

‘Flashlights help illuminate sidewalks, streets and yards so children can see where they’re going,’ she said.

Dress children in a mask that blocks vision

Elaborate costumes are great – but not when they can hinder your sensors.

The experts said it’s vital to make sure your child’s vision or hearing isn’t affected by any elements of the costume.

‘If you have a mask covering your face with eyeholes, make sure you can actually see out of them – they need to be the right size and in the right place,’ Dr. Goodman told Today.com.

She also reminded parents to make sure the masks have enough ventilation, and if not, suggested using non-toxic face paint – but to test it on their skin first for irritation or allergic reactions.

Let kids wear a costume they can’t properly walk in

Parents may buy clothes for their kids two sizes too big so they have room to grow into them – but that doesn’t need to apply to Halloween costumes.

Costumes that are too big can trip children up, causing injuries.

To avoid any broken bones, Dr. Goodman recommended a test run in the outfit- including walking up and down stairs.

Allow youngsters to use dangerous accessories

Kids have the tendency to be more rambunctious on Halloween – which can be particularly dangerous if they’re wielding a pointy prop.

Halloween may be the best time of year to embrace all of the fun props – but experts said caution needs to be exercised.

Dr. Goodman urged parents to buy a soft prop rather than something hard that can cause injury when costume shopping.

She noted that when children play with hard-edged props, they can end up hurting someone’s eye or causing injuries to the face.

Let kids go trick-or-treating unsupervised

There’s no set age for children to trick-or-treat alone, and the topic is often debated by parents.

A 2023 Opposite poll found that only 15 percent of parents with kids aged between nine and 11 allowed them to go trick-or-treating without adult supervision.

Many experts suggest somewhere between the ages of 11-13 is an appropriate age to let them trick-or-treat unsupervised, depending on several factors such as the time of day and who they are with.

‘In general, you should know where your kids are, but especially on a night like Halloween, where not only can your kids themselves do something to get in trouble, but you don’t know what everyone around them is doing to get in trouble,’ Dr. Goodman pointed out.

She said to make sure your kids are aware of what their friend’s costumes look like, and know all the details for their evening – including where exactly they’re going and who they’ll be with.