EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — This year for Halloween, 9-year-old Ava Muir is dressing up as Maleficent from Disney.

“I saw some really good costumes last year for Maleficent, so I thought I’m going to go with that,” said.

Ava and her family live in El Segundo. On Saturday, they attended Halloween Frolic on Main Street. The festival is filled with games, bounce houses and food. Ava took part in the annual costume contest along with other superheroes, ghouls and bananas.

“I feel excited and nervous,” she said.

One thing she was not nervous about, however, was safety. Neither was her father, Luke, because El Segundo police had closed off Main Street to cars.

Because traffic can be a big concern for the Halloween holiday, Ava’s dad said, “On days like today where there is hard closure on main street, where we can play around, run around and have fun like this, this is perfect.”

Luke said their family is extra cautious when it comes to trick-or-treating.

“We bring flashlights. Sometimes we bring little lights that flash either red or white so that if we are crossing the street cars can see us,” he said.

According to a study released by the American Medical Association of Pediatrics, Halloween is a particularly dangerous night for all pedestrians but especially children who are between the ages of 4 and 8. They were 10 times more likely to be in a traffic accident on Halloween than on any other night.

Festivities start around sunset — when many people are commuting home from work, and it can be difficult to clearly see the road. 

Alexander Leavitt is a sergeant with the El Segundo Police Department and said it is important for everyone to be conscientious.

“The sun may be in your eyes, and visibility is a little more difficult. There is a lot more pedestrian traffic than there would normally be, and obviously, with kids being excited with trick-or-treating, they might be excited and focus on the next area they want to get their candy. Which is why it is important to keep an extra eye on them. And make sure they don’t dart out onto the street,” he said.

Even though there are some risks, Leavitt said Halloween can be an exciting and safe holiday.

As for Ava, she came in first in the costume contest, but her focus was on perhaps the most important part of Halloween.

“You get to have candy and go trick-or-treating and eat it and have a sugar rush,” she said.

The El Segundo Police Department said besides being vigilant about traffic safety, it could also be an excellent opportunity to talk to kids about strangers and not going into anyone’s house if they don’t know them.