SEATTLE, Dec. 21, 2020 — QuoteWizard®, a LendingTree company, and one of the nation’s leading online insurance marketplaces released a report on holiday travel risk factors to see which states were considered riskier than others to visit this holiday season.
With holiday travel estimated to see strong numbers, dangers on the roads, and COVID-19 make for serious risks while seeing friends and family this year. Depending on where you’re traveling, those risks can be greater than other destinations.
Visit the full report here, https://quotewizard.com/news/posts/riskiest-places-to-travel-during-the-holidays
Key Findings:
- Over 3,100 deaths were recorded on Thanksgiving Day, breaking the daily COVID-19 death record.
- In 2019, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that 799 auto fatalities would occur across the U.S. over the Christmas and New Year holiday.
- West Virginia, Kentucky and Alabama have the most at-risk seniors with underlying health conditions.
- North Dakota, Rhode Island and South Dakota have the highest COVID-19 cases and death rates per 100,000 in the last seven days.
- Nevada, Wyoming and Georgia have the fewest vaccinated adults, causing more concern for the seasonal flu as well as a higher adoption rate for the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Wyoming, Virginia and Colorado ranked 2020’s worst-driving states in our fifth annual Best and Worst Drivers by State.
Methodology
QuoteWizard analyzed three driving and three health metrics to determine which states are the riskiest for pandemic holiday travel. In addition, we looked at the most recent (Tuesday, December 15) CDC data on United States COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by State in the last seven days per 100,000 people from all 50 states. Each metric was then ranked on a scale of 1 to 50, representing the safest to riskiest conditions for specific state travel. We then determined each state’s safety ranking by totaling across all metric scores to calculate its overall ranking and used the resulting scores to rank-order each of the states.
- Dangerous driving states – These rankings are compiled from QuoteWizard’s annual best and worst driver study. Each state’s driver quality ranking is based on the rate of accidents, speeding tickets and DUIs.
- Seniors with underlying health conditions – We analyzed CDC prevalence data that looks at seniors with high-risk COVID-19-related health issues that include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Adult vaccination rates – QuoteWizard analyzed the Commonwealth Fund’s Health System Data on adults with age-appropriate vaccinations.
- Hospital capacity – To evaluate health care capacity, we analyzed Health and Human Services (HHS) and Kaiser Family Foundation data, looking at IUC beds and physicians per 1,000 people in each state.
- COVID-19 cases and death rates – We looked at the most recent (Monday, December 14) CDC data on United States COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by State in the last seven days per 100,000 people
About QuoteWizard QuoteWizard (quotewizard.com) is an insurance comparison marketplace for consumers looking to save on insurance. QuoteWizard provides consumers with direct access to thousands of qualified agents in all 50 states, as well as major carriers, who offer personalized quotes and the opportunity to save up to 40% on auto, home, health, and life insurance. Agents and carriers, in turn, benefit from millions of highly qualified leads, calls, and traffic to their site. Based in Seattle, QuoteWizard was founded in 2006.
For more information, go to quotewizard.com, like our Facebook page and/or follow us on Twitter @quotewizard.
About LendingTree LendingTree (NASDAQ: TREE) is the nation’s leading online marketplace that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search, and can choose the option that best fits their financial needs. Services include mortgage loans, mortgage refinances, auto loans, personal loans, business loans, student refinances, credit cards and more. Through the My LendingTree platform, consumers receive free credit scores, credit monitoring, and recommendations to improve credit health. My LendingTree proactively compares consumers’ credit accounts against offers on our network and notifies consumers when there is an opportunity to save money. In short, LendingTree’s purpose is to help simplify financial decisions for life’s meaningful moments through choice, education and support. LendingTree, LLC is a subsidiary of LendingTree, Inc.