Parents talking, doorbells ringing and children cheering in glee. These are the sounds that fill our ears during Halloween. One couldn’t possibly think this happy night could take a turn for the worst. However, the unexpected can always come when we least expect it.
On Halloween, as children walk around at night, there are many dangerous possibilities that may occur.
Trick-or-treating is an activity where children will knock on neighbor’s doors and ask for candy, or go to a mall and receive candy from other stores. Although this is a fun event for kids, this can also be very dangerous. There’s a high risk you can get run over, kidnapped, peer pressured, or in some cases highly traumatized. This can happen anywhere: in your neighborhood, local park or at a party.
A lot of teenagers and adults will throw parties on Halloween. These parties might include loads of alcohol, resulting in drunk teenagers and adults. This can be problematic, as it increases the risk of drunk driving. Due to being hyper from eating so much candy, children can run across the street without looking. This is an issue because if a driver is under the influence of alcohol, they will have a slow reaction time, causing them to possibly hit or run over a child.
In addition, there’s a risk of being kidnapped as well. Trick-or-treating can make children an easy target of abduction. Although, hanging out with your family or friends seems like a safe plan, that isn’t always the case.
Segerstrom freshman Mariana Flores states she was almost a victim of being kidnapped.
“I was trick-or-treating with my cousins when we realized a van was following us. A man told us to get in the van and when we told him ‘No,’ a lot of guys got out of the car and tried to grab us. We ran to a nearby house and knocked really loud and were let inside,” Flores said.
This shocking story proves just how scary your day can become if you don’t take the right precautions.
Flores additionally states how her family has become cautious due to this event.
“Now I have to go trick-or-treating with my parents,” Flores said.
Peer pressure is also something to be very cautious about when trick-or-treating. Wanting to impress your friends can lead to some very bad decisions, such as damaging property, drugs or underage drinking. All these situations can get you into serious situations like being arrested, becoming a drug addict, and being an alcoholic. None of these are acceptable and can have a bad impact on your future.
Some of you might think it’s fun to scare little kids while trick-or-treating. But do you really know how it can affect their state of mind? According to mentalhealth.org children can be severely traumatized, causing them to become vulnerable to mental health problems.
Parent Susana Martinez states how her 4-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter were frightened while trick-or-treating in Floral Park, Santa Ana.
“Two kids popped up in front of them. They had fake axes and were dressed up as clowns. They began scaring my kids. I was so mad at those two random kids because how cruel could someone be,” Martinez said.
Martinez also stated how badly her children were terrified after the incident.
“I took my child to therapy since he was really scared. And for my daughter, she calmed down, but she doesn’t like watching scary movies and is really afraid of scary characters,” Martinez said.
What you think may be a small prank could actually lead to serious consequences.
In conclusion, you should always be careful during Halloween and make sure to make the right decisions. When you go trick-or-treating, it’s safer to go out with your parents than by yourself or with some friends. In addition to this, make sure you think before you act, even if it’s a joke, because you never know what might happen.
