How Old Should Kids Be Before They Are Allowed to Trick or Treat on Their Own?

Halloween is a fun time of year! Kids look forward to dressing up and getting a few gallons of candy. But it can also be dangerous. Drivers aren't used to children running around at nightime, kids with masks on can't always see clearly and in most neighborhoods you don't know ever single neighbor so who's to say that they aren't all safe.

Maybe it is just the mom in me, but I think it would be really difficult to let my children go trick or treating with anybody but me. At some point I am going to have to be ok with letting them venture off on their own. So what is that magic age? Is 9 to young? Is 16 to old?