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Croatia Safety
Chances are that you’ve heard about the State Department’s travel alert for U.S. citizens traveling to Europe. The report cites recent incidents involving terrorism that occurred in France, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom as motivation for the release of this alert. Meanwhile, the consensus among travelers seems to remain that Croatia is one of the safest places in the world to visit right now. Even the State Department’s profile for specifically Croatia affirms that violent crime is rare for this particular country.
According to their Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Croatia’s crime rating is low, and its political violence rating is low as well. They also have an adequate police force that responds to calls quickly and professionally, which is more than you can say about some parts of the United States. In fact, statistics indicate that crime levels are three times higher in the United States than they are in Croatia. Meanwhile, another government agency, known as the US National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, conducted a study for travel to Croatia, as well. Their findings indicated Croatia as a safe destination based on the country’s low foreign citizens’ mortality rate.
While on the topic of morbid statistics, did you know the odds of dying in a terrorist attack are just one in twenty million? This is according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. You are fifteen times more likely to be struck by lightning and 55 times more likely to be crushed by a television. These odds prompted The Washington Post to release an article entitled, “You’re more likely to be Crushed by Furniture than Killed by a Terrorist”. Inadvertently, the CDC’s statistic would also mean you have a 99.999995% chance of not dying from terrorism, so if you think about it, the odds are in your favor.
All things considered, was it necessary for the State Department’s travel alert to encompass all of Europe? To answer this question, it’s important to consider the diversity in European politics, culture, and diplomacy. Also, consider that traveling some countries may pose a higher risk than others. Last Year, the British publication Express collected data from the UK government to map out what they considered to be the safest destinations in Europe and listed Croatia as having a low level of terrorist activity. Neighboring Slovenia was listed as having an even lower threat with no known terrorist activity at all. That was before this year’s Travel and Tourism Competitive Report, which ranked Croatia among the top 25 safest countries to visit in the world.
Still brooding over whether or not it’s a good time to visit Croatia, or maybe you’d like to visit Slovenia? Let one of our Adventures Croatia specialists manage your trip and purchase travel insurance so you can have peace of mind. Croatia is safer now than ever before, so as the idiom goes, there is no time like the present!
Citations:
Bečić, Kristijan, Darija Jandrić Bečić, Morana Čengija, Goran Ćurić, Antonio Alujević, and Marija Definis-Gojanović. “Croatia Is a Safe Tourist Destination – Study of Foreign Citizen Mortality in Splitsko-dalmatinska and Primorsko-goranska County during the Period 2001-2010.” Croatian Medical Journal. Croatian Medical Schools, June 2013. Web. 6 May 2017.
“Croatia 2015 Crime and Safety Report.” Croatia 2015 Crime and Safety Report. United States Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security, 20 May 2015. Web. 6 May 2017.
“Croatia Ranked as One of the Safest Countries in the World.” The Dubrovnik Times. The Dubrovnik Times, 18 Apr. 2017. Web. 6 May 2017.
“Croatia.” U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, 25 Nov. 2016. Web. 6 May 2017.
“Croatia vs United States Crime Stats Compared.” NationMaster.com. NationMaster, n.d. Web. 6 May 2017.
Shaver, Andrew. “You’re More Likely to Be Fatally Crushed by Furniture than Killed by a Terrorist.” The Washington Post. WP Company, 23 Nov. 2015. Web. 6 May 2017.
Thistlethwaite, Felicity and Kat Romero. “How Safe Is Your 2016 Summer Holiday: Map Reveals Most DANGEROUS Destinations in Europe.” Express.co.uk. Express.co.uk, 28 July 2016. Web. 6 May 2017.
written by Katherine Vallera, our new Travel Specialist
