Research background The study results serve as a reminder for parents, children, and drivers to be alert to the danger of traffic crashes on Halloween.

Aim The aim of this study was to examine whether Halloween is associated with a higher incidence of traffic injuries and whether traffic injuries sustained on Halloween are more severe than those sustained on other days.

Methods The U.K. STATS19 database, including the data of all road traffic crashes occurring from 1990 to 2017, was employed.

Results A total of 73,587 pediatric traffic casualties (involving pedestrians, cyclists, and moped riders) were included. Between 17:00 and 19:00 (17:00~18:59) on Halloween, the number of casualties was higher than that on other public holidays and usual days. The logistic regression model revealed that, between 17:00 and 18:00 (17:00~17:59), the risk of being killed or seriously injured on Halloween was 34.2% higher (odds ratio = 1.342; 95% CI = 1.065–1.692) than that on other days.

Conclusion Pediatric crashes occurring on Halloween are associated with a higher number of injuries and increased injury severity.