MIAMI – Halloween is supposed to be spooky, but one study shows it can be downright dangerous, especially in South Florida.
The study by Cambridge Mobile Telematics shows Miami is the second-most dangerous city in the U.S. for trick-or-treaters.
Using statistics from the data of over 856,000 drives on Oct. 31, 2018, the study showed children were more likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year.
In an alarming find, the amount of driving trips on Halloween that involve speeding jumped a terrifying 235%.
Miami ranked second behind Ocean City, Maryland, and ahead of Memphis, Arlington, Va. and Park City, Utah.
Las Vegas was tops when it comes to the safest cities to trick-or-treat.
State Farm urges parents to use the following safety tips for Halloween:
- Always accompany young children.
- Exercise great caution during the "scariest" hours: between 5 and 9 p.m. It is especially dangerous for pedestrian accidents between 6 pm and 7 pm.
- Stick to neighborhoods with sidewalks. If you must walk on the street, keep to the far left, facing traffic.
- Practice safe crossing procedures: Use crosswalks; wait for corners; and look left, right and left again before crossing.
- Stick reflective tape onto costumes to make your child more visible. Also, have him or her carry a flashlight.
- Make sure costumes and shoes are the correct size to prevent tripping. Use face paint and leave the masks at home: They can obstruct vision.
- If an older child is venturing out without supervision, ask that he or she goes with a group, discuss the route and agree on a curfew. Give older kids cell phones so they can stay in touch.