Most Dangerous Time To Drive Is Independence Day Weekend 

A record 42 million Americans are expected to hit the highways this Independence Day weekend. A new report warned roads across the country will be the most dangerous in years. 

The National Safety Council (NSC), a 501 nonprofit that promotes health and safety, estimated that 462 people might lose their lives on roadways this holiday weekend in preventable crashes. 

“On a typical day, more than 100 people die on our roads, and that number is climbing,” Mark Chung, executive vice president of roadway practice at NSC, said in a statement. 

In a separate report, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expects roads will be the most dangerous in 16 years. Independence Day weekend appears to be the riskiest time to drive of the year. 

NSC didn’t explain why the Fourth of July holiday celebrating the Declaration of Independence, ratified on July 4, 1776, is the most dangerous period of the year to drive, beating out New Year’s Eve.

Independence Day is associated with fireworks, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, parties, and vacations. However, if we must opine, what else is there to do on a federal holiday when everything is closed? … drink, of course. 

Law enforcement agencies are boosting patrols starting tonight and will through Monday night. Their biggest concern is drunk drivers. This also means authorities will operate overnight sobriety checkpoints throughout the weekend, a move to curb drinking and driving.

The average cost of a DUI is upwards of $20,000 – and that doesn’t include property damage or anyone harmed. It’s cheaper to Uber or Lyft this holiday weekend than risk a DUI.