Report: S.C. ranks No. 2 for riskiest places for spring break travel

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - A Quote Wizard report by Lending Tree is ranking South Carolina No. 2 in its list of the riskiest places to travel for spring break.

The report bases its findings on hospital capacity, COVID-19 cases, adult COVID-19 vaccination numbers and dangerous driving stats.

READ MORE: Quote Wizard report by Lending Tree

One Myrtle Beach city leader said the report is misleading.

Karen Riordan, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, released this statement:

“The report ranking South Carolina as the second riskiest state to travel to this spring is misleading; their data is not current, and their methodology is erroneous. If you look at South Carolina’s ranking for each category, the state by no means should be labeled as one of the riskiest. What’s more, the categories for which they factored risk are randomly combined. For example, the report included a ranking for the number of seniors with underlying health conditions that each state has. This category simply does not impact travelers.”

The report shows data on the number of seniors with underlying heath conditions by checking out diabetes, cardiovascular disease, COPD and asthma percentages.

As for the vaccines, the CDC shows over two million doses have been administered in South Carolina. It accounts for about 40,000 per 100,000 doses.

The report also highlights dangerous driving statistics for each state.

South Carolina Highway Patrol Cpl. Sonny Collins said they’re moving more troopers to roads with the most traffic this spring season. Troopers are looking for aggressive driving behaviors like speeding or following too close.

“Especially in Horry County and really all routes leading in - Florence, Marion counties. We know when the weather gets warmer traffic will increase so anytime you leave your house to run an errand or heading to the beach yourself, the driver has to be responsible. The driver has to focus on their main job,” Collins said.

Collins said spring break comes with a lot more inexperienced drivers because of the younger-aged people.

Distracted driving is where South Carolina is ranking higher. The report’s statistics show S.C. is in the top five for worst driving habits, noting tickets are given for texting while driving, not wearing a seat belt or failure to signal.

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