Sanibel Island ranks third among U.S. beaches with the lowest crime, according to a new report. Three other Florida beaches also made the list.
Realizing your wallet was stolen while you were swimming in the ocean can quickly ruin an otherwise perfect beach day. Most beach vacationers look forward to frolicking in the water and basking in the sunshine, but forget how leaving their personal belongings unattended on the sand puts them at risk of being pilfered.
While this doesn't mean people should avoid the beach, it should prompt them to take safety precautions, like making sure they lock their car and always having someone watching their bags.
Some beaches may be safer than others, at least when it comes to theft. To determine which U.S. beaches have the most crime, The Action Network analyzed the crime statistics of 500 popular beaches' Zip codes from crimegrade.org, with theft weighted most heavily, followed by robbery, vehicle theft and burglary.
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It turns out that major resort hubs such as Maui's Kaanapali Beach were the safest. Even at high-theft beaches, more than 92% of recorded incidents were non-violent, mostly comprising unattended bags or rental car break-ins.
"When planning a summer getaway, travelers rarely think about property crime, but unattended phones, wallets, and car keys on the sand can be easy targets," said Kathy Morris, spokesperson for The Action Network. "By factoring daily tourist crowds into our analysis alongside local census data, we calculated the true individual risk for beachgoers across the country. The good news for vacationers is that over 90% of beach-area incidents are non-violent property theft, meaning a little extra situational awareness is usually all it takes to keep your belongings safe while enjoying the shore."
Here are the U.S. beaches with the highest and lowest risk of theft.
Laupahoehoe Beach Park, Hawaii
Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area, Oregon
Van Damme State Park, California
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New Smyrna Town Beach, Florida
Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Mickenzie Hannon is a watchdog reporter for The News-Press and Naples Daily News, covering Collier and Lee counties. Contact her at 239-435-3423 or [email protected].
Kathleen Wong is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY. She's the author of "The Conscious Traveller Hawai'i" and is based in Hawaii.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Which U.S. beaches are safest? This Southwest Florida beach ranks high