Research By: Lisa Lombardi
Some places are just too dangerous for children: crocodile ponds, stores that sell barbed wire, Jacksonville. . . . Okay, the Sunshine State’s largest city may not be that unsafe, but it’s probably riskier than its residents realize. When we looked at perils posed to children in 100 cities, Jacksonville came in as riskiest.
The data: accidental death rates for kids ages 5 to 14 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), number of car-seat inspection locations per child (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), sex offenders per capita (state and national registries), percentage of abused children protected from further abuse (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), and the strength of child-restraint laws and bike-helmet laws (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).