As Americans, we love to celebrate the 4th of July with family, friends, food, and fireworks. But all too often the festivities turn tragic on the nation’s roads. This iconic American holiday is also one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to drunk-driving crashes.
Over the 2016 Fourth of July holiday (6 p.m. July 2 to 5:59 a.m. July 6),
- 188 people were killed in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. This is a 28% increase from 2015 (146 fatalities).
- Nearly half of those who died were in a vehicle crash involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a BAC of .15 or higher – almost twice the legal limit.
So, please, celebrate safely.
