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Though the theme of Halloween is fear, that doesn’t mean you should let certain urban myths scare you into not enjoying festivities to the fullest.

Stephanie Pappas at LiveScience pulls back the curtain on five common myths about the most haunting day of the year so you can focus on the important things, like sneaking the best candy out of the kids’ bags without them noticing.

Myth #1: Evildoers use Halloween as an opportunity to poison children

It seems the perfect crime, albeit one out of a fairy tale: Wait for innocent kiddies to show up on your doorstep, then poison them with tainted Twix bars.

The only problem is, this “stranger danger” just doesn’t happen. In only one case has a child died from eating poisoned Halloween candy. The candy was planted by the 8-year-old boy’s father in an attempt to get the child’s life insurance money. The convicted murderer, Ronald Clark O’Bryan, was executed in 1984 for the 1974 crime…

…Halloween is dangerous for kids in another way, though. According to an analysis commissioned by insurance company State Farm, Halloween is the deadliest day of the year for child pedestrian accidents. An average of 5.5 children die after being hit by a vehicle on Oct. 31 each year, compared with an average of 2.6 child deaths on other days. The message? If you want to protect kids on Halloween, drive safely.

Full story at LiveScience.

Focus on safety.

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