Sure, Independence Day is all about fireworks, parades and picnics, but there’s another reality – and it’s a sad contrast to what’s supposed to be a celebration of freedom. The Fourth of July is the most dangerous summer holiday on the road.
Partly, this is because this holiday is tied to a specific date. While it can take place on or near the weekend, some years it falls in the middle of the week, such as on Thursday 2024. You don’t always get a long weekend like Labor Day or Memorial Day, so driving and commuting can be more concentrated, sometimes even just for a day. Many drinking behaviors and other bad decisions can also be concentrated on that day. And more than other holidays, Fourth of July events from coast to coast draw huge crowds.
The people in Jerry Insurance App looked closely NHTSA crash data along with Census Bureau information and lays out some numbers and charts you might find disturbing (literally) this 4th, when a record 60.6 million Americans expected to travel:
- There were an average of 429 total fatal crashes nationwide on the Fourth of July each year between 2016 and 2022. This number increased by 17% compared to the average in the period 2008-2015.
- There were nearly 500 drunk driver deaths during the 2022 Fourth of July holiday season.
- Nearly half of all crashes, 47%, involved a combination of skirunningalcohol and drugs. Third, 31%, involved speeding; third, 32%, involved at least one drunk driver; and another 12% involved drugs.
- Three-quarters (73%) of people killed in car crashes on December 4 were men. The majority were alcohol-impaired.
- More than half (52%) of those killed in crashes were under 40 years old. Two-thirds (66%) of deaths in that age group were due to alcohol-related accidents.
- The daytime fatality rate spikes sharply between 9pm and midnight as people drive home from parties and fireworks. There’s another spike after 1am when you add bar closings to that.
- In some cities and states, the carnage is worse than others. Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit have the most fatal crashes, as do California, Texas, and Florida, which is not surprising given their size. (California alone has three times as many fatal crashes as New York.)
- But when measured per capita, Detroit, Memphis and Kansas City are the worst. As well as Montana and the Dakotas, perhaps because of the longer driving distance.
- And it’s not just cars — Mothers Against Drunk Driving It was pointed out that alcohol-related boating fatalities were also a major problem for the Fourth. The US Coast Guard agrees that alcohol’s effects on judgment and reaction time are greatly amplified on water.
To solve the problem of young people drinking on Wednesdays, MADD recommended use of strategies from Parent Power Handbooksays a five-year study concluded that the book made teens more likely to refuse a ride from a drunk driver and less likely to drive when they themselves were drunk.
Jerry’s app report has dozens of revealing charts. We’ve included two here, but for a deeper dive, you should Check full report.
On the Fourth of April, fireworks aren’t the only risk. Have a safe and healthy day.
