Of course, Independence Day is about fireworks, parades, and picnics, but there’s another reality—and it’s a sad counterpoint to what should be a celebration of freedom. The Fourth of July is the deadliest summer holiday on the roads.
Part of this is because the holiday is tied to a specific date. While it can fall on a weekend or be an adjacent weekend, in some years it falls during the week, such as on a Thursday in 2024. You don’t always have a long weekend like Labor Day or Memorial Day, so car trips can be more concentrated, sometimes even all on one day. A lot of binge drinking and other bad decisions can also be concentrated on that day. And more than those other holidays, Fourth of July events bring huge crowds from coast to coast.
The people at the Jerry insurance app took a good look at it NHTSA crash data along with information from the Census Bureau and came up with some numbers and charts that you might find sobering (literally) on this Fourth Day, when a record 60.6 million Americans are expected to be traveling:
- Between 2016 and 2022, an average of 429 fatal crashes occurred across the country on July 4 each year, up 17% from the 2008-2015 average.
- A fourth holiday weekend in 2022 saw nearly 500 deaths involving impaired drivers.
- Nearly half of the crashes, 47%, involved a combination of driving too fastdrinking and drugs. A third, 31%, involved speeding; a third, 32%, involved at least one driver under the influence of alcohol; and another 12% involved drugs.
- Three-quarters (73%) of car crash fatalities on the Fourth are men. The majority had been drinking.
- More than half (52%) of those killed in accidents are younger than 40 years old. Two-thirds (66%) of deaths in that age group were the result of drinking-related accidents.
- There is a huge increase in fatal accidents at a certain time of day, which occurs between 9pm and midnight, as people drive home from parties and fireworks displays. There is a further increase after 1am when you add in the closing of bars.
- In some cities and states the carnage is worse than in others. Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit have the most fatal accidents, as do California, Texas and Florida, which is not surprising given their size. (California alone recorded three times as many fatal accidents as New York).
- But on a per capita basis, Detroit, Memphis and Kansas City are the worst. Montana and the Dakotas may also be driven due to greater distances.
- And the problem isn’t just the car – Mothers against drunk driving points out that alcohol-related ship fatalities are also a major problem during the Fourth. The US Coast Guard agrees that the effects of alcohol on judgment and reaction speed are greatly enhanced in water.
To address the problem of youth drinking on Fourth Street, CRAZY recommends using strategies from the Handbook The Power of ParentsA five-year study shows that the book helps teens refuse rides from disabled drivers and be less likely to drive if they themselves are disabled.
The Jerry App report includes a dozen revealing charts. We’ve included two here, but for a deeper dive, you should View the full report.
On the fourth, fireworks aren’t the only risk. Make sure you’re safe and healthy.
