Black Friday and Cyber Monday touted as 'safe holidays'

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are safer than most official holidays, both staying out of the top-10 most dangerous holidays for children.

With the approaching holiday season, a study by iSharing analyzed major U.S. holidays to identify the most dangerous holidays for children. The study considers key metrics like children injuries, fatal crashes involving children and average road fatalities among children to calculate a danger score for each holiday. The study uses data from open reports by NHTSA, Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool and NEISS

The most dangerous holiday for children is Independence Day, with a score of 76.94. It has the highest number of children injuries over the last 6 years, 134,218 in total. The number of road crashes and fatal accidents is lower than during Memorial Day but children still suffer from road accidents more than during a regular day with 5.4 average fatalities.

Memorial Day ranks second in the list of most dangerous holidays for children, closely following Independence Day with a score of 76.01. Over the last 6 years, there are almost 127,000 children injuries recorded, the second-highest number in the ranking. When it comes to road accidents, 27.2 fatal crashes involve children under 15, making it the most important holiday to ensure children's safety.

Mother’s Day takes third place, with a score of 71.84. The number of children injured during Mother’s Day is smaller than for Memorial or Independence Day, with 19,821 on average. Each year there are 30.4 fatal crashes involving children on Mother’s Day, the second-highest number in the ranking.

Columbus Day holds fourth place, getting a danger score of 68.35. The celebrations result in many fatal crashes, 535.8 on average but children are hurt less than during Memorial or Independence Day.

Thanksgiving is fifth in the ranking of the most dangerous holidays for children, scoring 61.51. The holiday has the lowest number of children injuries in the top-10, with an average of 14,694. The reckless driving still poses a danger for children during Thanksgiving and results in 6.6 child fatalities on average.

Labor Day ranks sixth, with a score of 60.77. The number of children injured during Labor Day is similar to Columbus Day but the roads are a little safer. While the average of children killed in fatal accidents is 4.2, the road safety showed a significant improvement and no children died in a car crash on this day in 2022.

Father’s Day takes seventh position, getting a score of 60.03. There are 19,821 children injuries during this holiday on average, which is lower than during Columbus or Memorial Day. At the same time Father’s Day has 24.2 fatal crashes involving children on average, so it is important to protect kids during car travel and pay attention near the traffic.

In eighth place is Halloween, scoring 53.34. The spooky celebration has the third-lowest number of children injuries at 17,476. The roads are also safer on average during Halloween than during Labor Day or Thanksgiving. Families should still ensure children safety during car travel, both Father’s Day and Halloween had 17 fatal crashes involving children in 2022.

New Year’s Day is ninth, getting a score of 48.28. Just as Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day has fewer children injuring themselves on average, 14,908 across all the U.S. Road conditions during New Year’s Eve should remain a point of attention for parents with 27.2 fatal crashes involving children happening on average.

President’s Day closes the top-10 of the most dangerous holidays for children, getting a score of 43.87. The number of children injuries during this day is similar to Halloween at 17,633. Road safety during President’s Day is better than during other holidays with only 10.8 fatal crashes involving children on average, the lowest rate in the list. At the same time, 2022 brought 7 children fatalities during Presidents Day which underscores the importance of children safety during big celebrations.

Black Friday ranks 11th, with a danger score of 41.34. The number of children injuries during this day is similar to New Year’s Day at 89,420 but the roads are generally safer. There are 21.8 fatal crashes involving children during Black Friday, same as during Halloween.

Cyber Monday holds 14th place, scoring 12. Children injuries happen more often during this day than during Christmas Day or Thanksgiving. Roads are more manageable during Cyber Monday, with the lowest rate of children road fatalities in the ranking which underscores the importance of road safety.