6 On Your Side: Consumer Confidence, Halloween Car Seat and Costume Safety

(ABC 6 NEWS) – There’s a Halloween warning you’ve probably never heard about, your child’s bulky or puffy costume might pose a serious safety hazard when they’re riding in a car seat.

Candy, haunted houses, ghoulish costumes – it’s Halloween and kids just want to have fun! But Consumer Reports warns there might be a real-life scare inside of your car, bulky or puffy costumes might cause your child’s car seat harness to not fit correctly, which means it might not offer optimal protection in a crash.

“Philip has this nice puffy costume with fake muscles. “We don’t want to wear puffy costumes underneath our car seat harness because doing that can add additional room to the harness in the event of a crash. And that additional room in the harness will now make it so there is more room for the child to move during the crash and potentially move outside the protection of their car seat,” Emily Thomas, Consumer Reports Car Seat Expert said.

Consumer Reports advice, Have your little ghoul or goblin change into their costumes after they get to the party.

If your child is a little older and plan on trick-or treating, make sure he or she can see and be seen!

Children are more than twice as likely to be hit and killed by a car on Halloween than on any other day of the year!

To be safer, avoid masks that block vision, and consider face painting instead.

And if you are driving on Halloween always watch for children as you enter and exit driveways and alleys.

A hand-me-down costume is a great money-saver, but if it’s too big, your child could trip, so adjust it for a proper fit.

And don’t forget about reflective tape–Add it to costumes and bags, or give them glow sticks so they can more easily be seen even on the darkest and spookiest of Halloween nights.