Fourth of July travel is most dangerous in these cities, study claims
These cities were said to be the most dangerous to drive in during the Fourth of July weekend, a study stated.
Personal finance comparison site finder.com analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration collected from 2008 to 2017. In the last decade, the 2017 Fourth of July weekend was the “deadliest for driving” with 531 deaths from 486 car crashes, the analysis stated
The city that was found to be least safe to drive in over the weekend was Houston, Texas, which had 25 road fatalities since 2008. Chicago, Los Angeles, San Antonio, New York, Jacksonville, Fla., Phoenix, Ariz., Dallas, Texas, Detroit, Mich. and St. Louis, Mo. were also listed, respectively.
“With AAA reporting that nearly 49 million Americans are planning to hit the road this Independence Day weekend, an expected rise of 4.1 percent compared to last year, we urge you to stay alert and avoid those distracted from texting or talking on the phone. Pull over and let any exhibiting risky behavior pass,” Rachel Dix-Kessler, finder consumer advocate, said in a statement.
In terms of which state was the most dangerous, California came in first with 177 road deaths from 2008 to 2017. Texas was second followed by Florida, Missouri and Pennsylvania, respectively.
Meanwhile, the states that had the least amount of road fatalities were Vermont with three deaths from 2008 to 2017, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Kansas and Delaware, respectively.
The analysis noted that almost half of the fatal accidents involved drunk drivers.
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“Be aware that close to half (45.71 percent) of all fatal road accidents from 2008-2017 involved drunk drivers, so aim to leave when it’s light and there’s more visibility of what’s going on around you,” Dix-Kessler said in a statement.
AAA said this will be the sixth consecutive year of travel growth for the July 4th holiday. Many will be traveling thanks in part to lower gas prices.
Independence Day falls on a Thursday this year.
Fox Business' James Leggate contributed to this report.