These are the most dangerous cities for trick-or-treaters
Halloween is under a few days away, but parents have much more to worry about than just the sugar high and costume blunders that Oct. 31 is known to bring.
According to Safe Kids, children are more than twice as likely to be hit and killed by a car on the holiday than on any other day of the year. Plus, as the epidemic of distracted driving only gets more and more prevalent, parents should take extra precautions for their kids' safety, like putting reflective tape on their costumes to ensure they can be seen by drivers, or stringing a flashlight around their necks.
In addition to the added danger of the holiday taking place on a weeknight, some cities are more accident-prone than others, requiring trick-or-treaters to be extra vigilant about their safety. Cambridge Mobile Telematics looked at data from nearly 900,000 drives on Halloween around the United States and found that Ocean City in Maryland, Park City, Memphis, Arlington and Miami are home to the most distracted drivers, while Portland in Oregon, Cape Cod, Jacksonville, the Hamptons and Ocean City, again, are home to the speediest drivers.
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“With Halloween taking place on a weeknight this year, parents and partygoers will be rushing home to get ready for festivities," explained Ryan McMahon, VP of Insurance at Cambridge Mobile Telematics to AOL Lifestyle. "Our data found that nearly half of drivers, 39.1 percent, were speeding excessively through highways and residential neighborhoods. Additionally, there were a number of close calls, with 24.8 percent of drivers slamming on their brakes."
The data also found that Seattle, Las Vegas, San Jose, Long Beach in California and Minneapolis were home to the fewest instances of distracted driving, making these cities some of the safest for trick-or-treaters.
“Drivers should be mindful of the risks, put away their phone and slow down on the roads, especially in residential neighborhoods where trick or treaters may be crossing the street," McMahon explained. "Parents should supervise children under 12 and discuss safety best practices, such as keeping a flashlight handy, staying on sidewalks, and only trick-or-treating on agreed upon routes. And as for trick-or-treaters, they should start early to get the best candy and avoid accidents with drivers speeding off to their late-night Halloween festivities.”
For more Halloween safety tips, watch the video above.
