The Fourth of July is a great opportunity to get out and celebrate summer with family and friends. However, there is typically a significant number of serious car accidents.
One of the biggest reasons for the increase is that there are simply more drivers on the road than usual. In addition, there are several factors that can create a high risk of reckless or negligent drivers.
Distraction
People hitting the road on the Fourth of July are likely to have a lot of passengers in their car. More passengers can lead to more distraction. Likewise, people may be more likely to talk and text while driving in order to communicate with family and friends about their plans or exchange holiday greetings.
Visitors
When people are driving in areas that are unfamiliar to them, they may be more likely to feel disoriented. They may miss important signage, or they could become more focused on their GPS than the road ahead.
Drunk driving
It is common for people to want to celebrate the holiday with alcoholic beverages. Unfortunately, the Fourth gives rise to more drunk drivers on the road than usual. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, there were 812 fatalities in car accidents involving drunk drivers on the Fourth of July from 2014 to 2018.
Ultimately, drivers often fail to exercise reasonable care on big holidays such as the Fourth of July. If you sustained an injury over the holiday weekend, you should consider whether negligence or recklessness played a role in the accident.