Scary Fact: Vehicle Vandalism Claims Nearly Double on Halloween

At Halloween, while you're concentrating on what costume to wear, how much candy you should buy and where the kids will go trick-or-treating, you should also be concerned about where you can safely park your car that day so it doesn't get damaged by vandalism!

The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has found that Halloween is indeed a scary night for automobile owners in the U.S., with nearly twice as many vehicle vandalism claims as a typical day, and it is considerably worse than any other day of the year compared to the other major holidays.

The HLDI examined insurance claims for vandalism made under comprehensive coverage from 2008 through 2012. Claims such as slashed tires or smashed windows. Data was supplied by 28 companies representing more than two-thirds of the insurance market for private passenger vehicles. The average number of claims per day was 692, and the average cost per claim was $1,528. That's a total average daily cost of more than $1 million per day. And Halloween is nearly double that, approaching $2 million in vandalism claims throughout the country!

Halloween had the highest average number of claims for any of the year with 1,253. The other high-claims days were the Fourth of July, with 987, and New Year's Day, with 944.

The HLDI also found that, holidays aside, vandalism seems to occur more often on weekends and in the summer. Weekdays all had an average or below-average number of claims. In a monthly comparison, claims were highest in July, followed by August and June.

So, while you're handing out candy and enjoying all the creative costumes, keep an eye on your vehicle if it's parked outside. You don't want to be one of the unlucky ones who get "treated" to vandalism.

Source: PEMCO Insurance and the Highway Loss Data Institute