Not all the scares and frights and bumps in the night are imaginary on Halloween. Each year, thousands of people end up in the emergency room due to Halloween-related injuries.

One of the biggest culprits may come as a surprise: It’s pumpkin carving, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission . Falls while trick-or-treating and pedestrian accidents are also common, and children are more likely to be struck and killed by a vehicle on Halloween than on other days of the year.

I spoke with wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen to learn about a few easy steps parents can take to reduce the likelihood of Halloween-related incidents, including carving injuries, burns and traffic accidents.

Wen is an emergency physician and adjunct clinical associate professor at the George Washingto

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