The scariest part about Halloween is not the ghoulish costumes or fake blood but the real tragedies that happen every year – often from foolish irresponsibility.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the number of deaths among young pedestrians was four times higher on Halloween evening compared with the same time period during all other evenings of the year.

There are obviously more people out walking the streets on Halloween, which means everyone must take extra strides to be careful.

Every effort should be made to see that young trick-or-treaters are supervised while walking down the streets.

Often their street-crossing abilities are over-estimated, and the fun of the night can easily distract them from making smart choices.

For this reason, the National Safety Council suggests all children younger than 12 be supervised – a wise suggestion.

For college students, that might mean spending the evening with a younger sibling instead of going out to a party, or making sure parents are there to supervise.

But a sibling’s life is worth more than one night of fun.

And the cautiousness of the trick-or-treater is merely one side of the problem. Drivers need to be aware of what the evening entails and take extra precautions as well.

Many college students seem to become so focused on themselves and their costumes on Halloween that they become less cautious drivers than normal.

And this is exaggerated when alcohol is involved.

How many college students have a couple drinks at a Halloween party and then deem themselves OK to drive, feeling they will surely be able to decipher those dark little goblins darting across the street and stop in time?

There is no reason college students can’t act mature and make responsible decisions, especially when the lives of others are at hand – others who are half their age.

All it takes is a quick thought about others around you instead of assuming an 8-year-old child would think about the crazy drunk driver before crossing the street.

Have fun this Halloween, but be responsible.

Make wise choices by thinking about all of the potential hazards for yourself and those around you. And make every effort you can to prevent them.