50+ Halloween Injury And Accident Statistics In 2024

Halloween is one of the top five most dangerous holidays of the year especially when it comes to pedestrian fatalities, car accidents, and injuries. Halloween accident statistics paint a bleak picture of increased risks for car accidents, fire injuries, trip and fall accidents, costume injuries, pumpkin carving emergency room visits, and pedestrian fatalities.

Drunk Driving

Some of the most popular nights for drunk driving and drunk driving related car accidents include the 4th of July, New Year’s eve, and Christmas. However, Halloween is high on that list as well.

• 52: In 2019, one person was killed every 52 minutes in a drunk driving car accident.
• 126: From 2015 and 2019, between 6:00 p.m. on October 31st and 6:00 a.m. on November 1st, 126 people were killed in drunk driving related car accidents.
• 41%:  on Halloween night from 2015 through 2019, 40% of people killed in car accidents involved at least one intoxicated driver.
• 21:  21 vehicle occupants were killed in drunk driving related crashes on Halloween in 2019.
• 4: 4 were killed in drunk driving related crashes on Halloween in 2019.
• 62: Adults between the ages of 21 and 34 had the highest rates of drunk driving related accidents and fatalities at 62%
• 21%: 21% of male drivers involved in a fatal car accident in 2019 were intoxicated.
• 14%: 14% of female drivers involved in fatal car accidents in 2019 were driving under the influence.

Source: NHTSA

Halloween Injuries

Halloween sends thousands of people to the emergency room every year for injuries related to Holiday activities like pumpkin carving, costumes, allergies, and trick or treat incidents.

Allergies

A recent study from the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that allergy related emergency room visits increased on Halloween. Peanut triggered anaphylaxis increased to 85% on Halloween. Allergies for other tree nuts jumped to 60% on Halloween. Under normal circumstances nut allergies can be potentially fatal and result in over 30,000 visits to the ER annually.

Failure to read food labels or receiving candy and other treats that have not been individually labeled or are homemade increases this risk.

Costumes

Halloween costumes can cause injury when they don’t fit properly. Baggy or long costumes are a tripping hazard. The material for costumes can also increase fire hazards.

Masks can decrease visibility which can increase the risk of tripping, falling, or involvement in pedestrian related car accidents.

Decorations

Decorations often involve ladders or decorating around obstacles on the steps or porch that can lead to trip and fall injuries. Decorations can significantly influence the risk of trip and fall accidents particularly when things like Jack O’Lanterns are located along crowded porch steps.

Decorations like pumpkins also increase the risk of fires especially when pumpkins have been carved and have candles inside. Many people who decorate their homes don’t necessarily clear away all flammable material from nearby and are more likely to leave decorations unattended.

• 3,200: 3,200 people go to the emergency department every year on Halloween for injuries.
• 55%: 55% of emergency room visits on Halloween are related to pumpkin carving accidents.
• 25%: 25% of emergency room visits on Halloween are related to people tripping on costumes or falling while setting up decorations.
• 20%: 20% of injuries are related to miscellaneous things like injuries from pumpkins, injuries related to costumes, ingesting something harmful or allergies.
• 54%: 54% of people who visited emergency rooms for accidents on Halloween were adults.
• 46%: 46% of people who visited emergency rooms for injuries on Halloween were under the age of 18.
• 10%: Of those under the age of 18, 10% were six or younger.
• 70%: 70% of adults do not accompany their children when children go trick or treating.
• 63%: 63% of children trick or treat in the dark without a flashlight.
• 86%: 86% of adults will bring alcohol to Halloween parties even if children are present at those parties increasing the risk for intoxication and drunk driving.

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Pumpkin Carving Accidents

Leading up to and immediately after Halloween, many families engage in pumpkin carving. Pumpkin carving can be a fun tradition as part of the decoration process before trick or treating but it is also not without its injuries.

Children are often involved in family pumpkin carving but pumpkins are typically so large with dense outer flesh that specialized pumpkin carving knives are used. Dull knives or inadequate pressure can lead to high rates of hand injuries.

• 87.6%: 87.6% of all injuries related to pumpkin carving affect the hand.
• 33.5%: 33.5% of pumpkin carving, knife injuries affected the thumb.
• 25%: 25% of all knife-related pumpkin carving injuries affected the index finger.
• 31.5%: 31.5% of all pumpkin related and carving injuries were sustained by children between the ages of 10 and 19.
• 19.5%: 19.5% of all pumpkin related and carving injuries were sustained by children under the age of 10.
• 51.6%: 51.6% of pumpkin carving injuries were men.
• 48.4%: 48.4% of pumpkin carving injuries were women.
• 16.5%: 16.5% of emergency room visits for pumpkin carving accidents took place on Saturdays.
• 23.3%: 23.3% of emergency room visits for pumpkin carving accidents took place on Sundays.
• 83.5%: 83.5% of pumpkin carving injuries happen in October.
• 11.2%: 11.2% of pumpkin carving injuries happen in November.
• 45.6%: 45.6% of pumpkin carving accidents happen in the last week of October, the highest week of the season.
• 30th: October 30th has the highest rate of injury out of each day in Autumn.

Source: Science Direct

Fire Injuries

Fires are an increased risk factor around Halloween because of highly flammable costume materials such as plastics or nylon, as well as electrical or battery powered decorations.

Some of the most sources of fires on Halloween include the following:

1. Cornstalks which are dried and highly flammable, and can easily block doorways
2. Crepe paper decorations that can easily catch fire
3. Candle flames
4. Flammable costumes

Source: USFA FEMA

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, estimates that candles and electrical plugs and cords cause the highest fire risk. Candles were responsible for 5,600 fires between 2017 and 2019 and electrical cords or plugs were responsible for another 1,600 fires during that same time frame.

The reason for such high numbers is that many people display candles inside things like jack-o’-lanterns and those candles are often placed near other flammable materials like highly flammable costumes or decorations such as dried corn stalks. People are more likely to leave candles completely unattended during Halloween when they are occupied distributing candy or helping their children trick or treat.

Halloween fires take place most often in the late afternoon or early evening, with the highest number taking place between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., declining from that point until around 3:00 a.m.

• 7.1%: 7.1% of Halloween fires take place between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., representing the peak time during the day.
• 6.7%: 6.7% of fires take place between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., with another 6.7% between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
• 6%: 6% of Halloween fires take place between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
• 5.9%: 5.9% of Halloween fires take place between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., and another 5.9% between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
• 38.3%: 38.3% of all Halloween fires take place between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on October 31st.
• 51.8%: 51.8% of Halloween fires between 2017 and 2019 were the result of cooking accidents.
• 8.9%: 8.9% of fires between 2017 and 2019 were caused by heating.
• 7.5%: 7.5% of Halloween fires between 2017 and 2019 were caused by carelessness.
• 6.3%: 6.3% of Halloween fires between 2017 and 2019 were caused by an electrical malfunction.
• 2.7: The average annual fire death rate is 2.7 deaths per 1,000 Halloween fires.
• 10.9: The average annual injury rate is 10.9 injuries per 1,000 Halloween fires.
• $13,690: The dollar loss for Halloween fires between October 30th and November 1st between 2017 and 2019 averaged $13,690.
• $11,860: The dollar loss for non-halloween fires averaged $11,860.
• 34%: 34% of all Halloween fires were outdoor fires, from 2017 through 2019.
• 33.4%: 33.4% of Halloween fires were residential fires based on data from 2017 through 2019.
• 16.4%: 16.4% of Halloween fires were vehicle fires between 2017 and 2019.
• 45%: Residential fires had the highest number of deaths at 45% compared to all other types of Halloween fires.
• 83%: Residential fires accounted for the highest number of injuries compared to other types of Halloween fires, at 83%.
• 42%: Residential fires represented the highest dollar loss at 42% of all financial loss compared to other categories of fires.

Source: USFA FEMA

Pedestrian Fatalities

Halloween is a popular night for people, especially young children to be on foot or on bike, making their way in the dark across their neighborhood or nearby neighborhoods for trick-or-treating. adults are more likely to walk around with their children or walk to and from Halloween parties especially where alcohol is involved.

This increase in foot traffic has a direct correlation to an increase in pedestrian fatalities. Factors that contribute to high pedestrian fatalities include:

1. Increased activity around dusk.
2. Costumes that limit visibility to drivers
3. Masks that restrict peripheral vision for wearers
4. Neglect of street-crossing safety
5. Alcohol impairment

Source: NCBI

Most Dangerous Hours

Most Halloween activities take place in the late afternoon or evening but unfortunately this increase of activity also increases the risk of injury particularly to children.

Halloween is a particularly dangerous time for children who are on foot, trick-or-treating from house to house. Between 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on October 31st every year, the majority of outdoor Halloween activities take place for children between the ages of 5 and 14.

• 15%: According to the CDC, childhood pedestrian deaths accounted for 15% of motor vehicle deaths from 1975 through 1996.
• 18: According to the Washington Post, 54 pedestrians under the age of 18 were killed in an automobile accident on Halloween between 2004 and 2018, compared to the average 16 for any other day of the year.
• 2x: October 31 has a 2x increase of pedestrian fatalities compared to the same time frame the week after.
• 1.45: Between 1975 and 2016 there was an average of 1.45 pedestrian fatalities each hour under normal conditions.
• 43%: Between 1975 and 2016, the average pedestrian fatalities each hour increased 43% on Halloween night.
• 4: The average Halloween night over the last four decades added four additional pedestrian deaths.
• 10x: Children between the ages of 4 and 8 are at a 10x higher risk of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween.
• 6:00: 6:00 pm has the highest rate of hourly pedestrian fatalities on Halloween.

Sources: CDC, NCIB, Washington Post

Most Dangerous Days of the Week on Halloween

The day of the week also influences the rates of car accidents, drunk driving, and pedestrian fatalities. When Halloween falls on a weekday it actually increases several of these safety risks with Saturday being one of the safest days for Halloween to take place.

• 11%: There is an 11% increase in the fatality rates when Halloween takes place on a weekday compared to a weekend.
• 21.86%: Friday night Halloweens have a 21.86% increase in the number of fatal car crashes compared to regular Friday night car crash data.
• 18.01%: Tuesday night Halloweens have an 18.01% increase in the number of fatal car crashes compared to regular Tuesday night car crash data.
• 15.6%: Sunday night Halloweens have a 15.6% increase in the number of fatal car crashes compared to regular Sunday night car crash data.
• 15.51%: Thursday night Halloweens have a 15.51% increase in the number of fatal car crashes compared to regular Thursday night car crash data.
• 13.89%: Monday night Halloweens have a 13.89% increase in the number of fatal car crashes compared to regular Monday night car crash data.
• 8.42%: Wednesday night night Halloweens have an 8.42% increase in the number of fatal car crashes compared to regular Wednesday night car crash data.

Source: NCBI