Halloween lands on a Saturday this year, which means trick-or-treating won't be squeezed into the hours between school pickup and bedtime. Kids could be on the sidewalks by midafternoon, parties will run late, and drivers, pedestrians and e-bike riders will be sharing the same dark residential streets for most of the evening.
American Medical Response, the ambulance company, is asking Riverside residents to plan for that longer window.
"With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, we expect more people out celebrating from the afternoon well into the night," Jeremey Shumaker, associate vice president of AMR's Pacific Region, said in a news release Tuesday. "That longer window means more kids and families on the streets and more drivers sharing the road with them."
AMR said it reviewed its call data from previous Halloween seasons and found that, beyond routine medical calls, crews most often responded to traffic collisions, falls, behavioral emergencies and suspected intoxication. The company did not release call counts.
E-bikes add a newer risk to an old night
This is the first Halloween since Riverside County's e-bike injury numbers drew wide attention. In July, Riverside University Health System reported that emergency room visits tied to e-bike crashes across the county rose from 224 in 2023 to 494 in 2024 and 958 in 2025. At least 416 more had been recorded in 2026 as of the July 9 report. County coroner records tie e-bikes to at least one death in 2024 and two in 2025.
The increase is steepest among young riders. ER visits among 10- to 14-year-olds more than doubled in a single year, from 155 in 2024 to 339 in 2025, according to RUHS. Visits among 15- to 24-year-olds rose from 122 to 248. Health officials said the true numbers are likely higher because hospitals are still sorting out how to record crashes involving the growing mix of motorized bikes.
Michael Mesisca, who chairs emergency medicine at RUHS Medical Center, said in July that the department is seeing blunt head trauma, rib fractures, collapsed lungs and lacerations, particularly among teens and young adults.
Those are countywide figures. Inside city limits, the Riverside Police Department told the City Council it logged more than 200 e-bike-related calls to dispatch and 311 between Jan. 1 and July 1, along with 22 e-bike-related crashes.
The city's e-bike rules are still in committee
Riverside does not yet have its own e-bike ordinance. A proposal from Councilmembers Sean Mill and Chuck Conder would have required helmets for minors, banned sidewalk riding and let the city hold parents responsible for violations by minors. The council unanimously sent it back to Mill's Safety, Wellness and Youth Committee on Sept. 22 after council members and riders raised concerns about a provision that would have banned e-bikes from the Santa Ana River Trail. As of that meeting, no date had been set for its return.
State law already applies in the meantime. California requires anyone under 18 to wear a helmet on a bicycle, including an e-bike, and requires all riders and passengers on Class 3 e-bikes to wear one regardless of age.
What AMR is asking for Saturday night
AMR's recommendations are aimed at everyone who will be on the street.
Drivers should slow down in residential neighborhoods after dark, watch intersections, driveways and the gaps between parked cars, and put their phones away.
Pedestrians should stick to sidewalks and crosswalks, carry a flashlight, and add reflective tape to costumes and candy bags. Light-colored costumes are easier to see.
E-bike and bike riders should wear a properly fitted, certified helmet, add lights or reflective tape to the bike and their clothing, ride with traffic, signal turns and check their brakes before heading out. Loose costume pieces and dangling strings can catch in a chain or wheel.
Families should have children walk around in their costumes and shoes before leaving the house, skip capes and accessories that drag, and swap vision-blocking masks for face paint or a hat. AMR recommends that an adult accompany children under 12. Homeowners can help by clearing extension cords and decorations from walkways.
Anyone celebrating with alcohol should line up a sober driver or rideshare before the party starts, and should never drive or ride impaired. AMR urged people not to hesitate to call for help if someone has had too much to drink.
