When you are thinking about the 4th of July, most of us tend to think of fireworks, BBQ’s, and a day or days off work! What many aren’t aware of is that the Fourth of July weekend is also the deadliest time to be on the road. Every year, hundreds of American’s die as a result of alcohol-related crashes marking this holiday more deadly than New Year’s Eve.
According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which has been tracking car crash statistics for a quarter of a century, The 4th of July almost always tops the list for auto-related deaths. Statistics gathered over the past 25 years show that, on average, nearly 51 percent of all deadly traffic crashes on July 4 are related to alcohol.
Additionally, every day 28 people in the United States die in an alcohol-related vehicle crash—that’s one person every 51 minutes. Drunk driving fatalities have fallen by a third in the last three decades; however, the chance of being in an alcohol-impaired crash is still one in three over the course of a lifetime. These deaths and damages contribute to a cost of $52B per year.
We want everyone to have fun on July 4th, be with friends, see the fireworks show, and attend a BBQ, but make sure that throughout all the fun activities, you are also staying safe, designate a driver, and allow a sober friend to light the fireworks this year.
N. Craig Richardson is a Personal Injury Attorney in Lake Charles, LA. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident, give his office a call for a complimentary evaluation of your case.