Halloween the Top Third Deadliest Day of the Year - Central Coast News KION/KCBA

SALINAS, Calif.- As children eagerly pick out their costumes and parents load up on bags of candy, there's a real concern lurking in the darkness, literally.

State and national agencies are warning people out walking Halloween night to be aware of the real Halloween horror, which is the fact that the holiday is the top third deadliest day of the year for pedestrians. Parents to be extra vigilant of the potential dangers that children face while trick or treating. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), children are four times more likely to be struck by a motor vehicle on Halloween than on any other day of the year.

Children are always at greater risk as pedestrians because of their shorter stature and unreliable judgment about when and where to cross streets. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of deaths among young pedestrians from 5 to 14 years of age is four times higher on Halloween, between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m.

The number of fatalities in vehicle related crashes on Halloween in 2009 increased 16 percent, with 110 fatalities, when compared to the rest of the year, which averaged 92 fatalities per day nationwide. According to data from NHTSA, vehicle fatalities increase when Halloween falls on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.