Experts Share Halloween Safety Tips for Utah Families
Intermountain Children's Health urges trick-or-treaters and drivers to take extra precautions as kids face elevated risk on Halloween night.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Toddlers
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Intermountain Children's Health experts issued Halloween safety tips for trick-or-treaters and drivers. Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than on any other day of the year.
Why it matters
Halloween brings large numbers of children onto streets after dark, raising the risk of collisions and other accidents. Utah residents can apply these guidelines to protect young trick-or-treaters across the state.
Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than on any other day of the year. Over the past decade, more than 60 Utah children have died and more than 500 been injured in accidental back overs and front overs, though the source does not break out how many occurred on Halloween.
The players
Intermountain Children's Health
Intermountain Children's Health is a nonprofit health system based in Utah that operates hospitals and clinics across the Intermountain West.
Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital
Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital is a pediatric hospital in Salt Lake City that runs the Spot the Tot program to prevent accidental back overs.
The details
Intermountain Children's Health recommends that trick-or-treaters carry glow sticks or flashlights and wear reflective tape or stickers on costumes. Adults should accompany children under age 12 and help them use crosswalks, while drivers should walk all the way around their car before getting in to make sure no children are behind it. Candy is also one of the most common causes of choking in children, and choking is often silent.
Timeline
Over the past decade, more than 60 Utah children have been killed in accidental back overs and front overs.
Halloween night is when kids face elevated risk of being hit by cars.
Seasonal Patterns
The Halloween guidance builds on Intermountain Primary Children's Hospital's Spot the Tot program, which targets drivers pulling away from curbs and driveways where children can be missed. The advisory applies that same back-over concern to the seasonal spike in child pedestrian traffic that Halloween night creates.
Parents and drivers across Utah can apply these guidelines on Halloween night, such as using reflective tape on costumes and walking around the car before getting in. Accompanying children under age 12 and sticking to crosswalks reduces the chance of a collision during peak trick-or-treating hours.
The takeaway
Simple habits like carrying a flashlight, walking around your car, and staying with young children at crosswalks can prevent serious injuries. Families and drivers who take these steps during Halloween can help keep Utah's kids safe.
Further reading
Explore more family safety guidance in our Toddlers section.
More information
Find more details on child safety from Intermountain Health child safety information.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KUTV.
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