LAYTON -- Knowing the tricks of the Halloween trade may keep children, and the candy they collect, safe this holiday weekend.
Davis Hospital and Medical Center no longer X-rays the trick-or-treat bags of area children to ensure their candy has not been tampered with, said Lora Kier, director of marketing and community relations for the hospital.
But hospital officials are offering recommendations regarding Halloween candy safety.
"Throw out unwrapped treats or anything that looks like it may have been open or tampered with," Kier said.
Parents are also encouraged to check the ingredients of the candy collected if their children have food allergies, she said.
Parents with younger children should also be looking for candy that may pose a potential choking hazard, like hard candy and chewing gum, Kier said.
And while hospital officials are urging parents to keep their eyes peeled for suspicious-looking candy, AAA Utah is asking motorists to be aware of children out trick-or- treating in their neighborhoods this weekend.
Children are four times more likely to be struck by a motor vehicle on Halloween than on any other day of the year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Children are always at greater risk as pedestrians because of their shorter stature and unreliable judgment about when and where to cross streets, said Rolayne Fairclough, AAA Utah spokeswoman.
"Combine children walking after dark, candy, vision-compromising costumes and adult party-goers on the road and you have a recipe for disaster," she said.
"Children are safer the more visible they are."
There are many easy and inexpensive ways for parents to make sure Halloween costumes are both easy for drivers to see at a distance and easy for children to see out of, Fairclough said.
Wear light-colored or reflective clothing for costumes, she suggested, and wear face paint instead of a mask that inhibits seeing or hearing oncoming traffic.
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