The Most Dangerous Roads on the Fourth of July

If the holiday is anything like last year, more than 50 million Americans will travel this Fourth of July. Unfortunately, the Fourth of July is the most dangerous holiday for driving in the country.

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Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, researchers at TruckInfo.net discovered a few worrying trends for travelers.

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July 4th is the most dangerous holiday for driving

Over the past 20 years, more driving fatalities have occurred on the Fourth of July than any other federal holiday.

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Related: See the best truck insurance companies of 2024

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What day of the week July 4th falls on impacts how dangerous the roads are

When the Fourth of July falls on a Tuesday, there is a 63% increase in driving fatalities compared to the typical Tuesday. Luckily, this year the holiday falls on a Thursday – which historically has the fewest driving fatalities of any day of the week.

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Drunk driving is a major issue on the Fourth of July

Driving fatalities were 44% more likely to be caused by drunk driving on the Fourth of July in 2022 than other Mondays (the day the Fourth of July fell on). Speeding and distracted driving were also more common.

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Related: Looking to become an owner operator? See our guide to bobtail truck insurance & hot shot insurance

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Many of the most dangerous roads on the Fourth of July are in small counties

Typically large counties have more driving fatalities. However, on the Fourth of July, seven of the most dangerous eleven roadways were in counties with populations under 150k.

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The 10 most dangerous counties on the Fourth of July

Over the last 20 years, the following counties have seen the most driving fatalities on the Fourth of July.

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1. Los Angeles County, CA

• 4th of July Driving Fatalities: 65
• Population: 9,719,765

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2. Harris County, TX

• 4th of July Driving Fatalities: 30
• Population: 4,781,337

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3. Maricopa County, AZ

• 4th of July Driving Fatalities: 28
• Population: 4,555,833

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4. Dallas County, TX

• 4th of July Driving Fatalities: 26
• Population: 2,601,993

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5. Cook County, IL

• 4th of July Driving Fatalities: 26
• Population: 5,111,566

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6. Wayne County, MI

• 4th of July Driving Fatalities: 21
• Population: 1,758,942

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7. Miami-Dade County, FL

• 4th of July Driving Fatalities: 21
• Population: 2,673,056

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8. San Diego County, CA

• 4th of July Driving Fatalities: 21
• Population: 3,277,176

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9. San Bernadino County, CA

• 4th of July Driving Fatalities: 19
• Population: 2,194,908

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10. Riverside County, CA

• 4th of July Driving Fatalities: 18
• Population: 2,474,241

Related: Compare the best cargo insurance providers of 2024

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Full Data

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Methodology

Fatal accident statistics were sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for 2003 through 2022. Population data was sourced from the US Census Bureau. Large counties were defined as those with populations greater than 500k, mid-size counties as those with populations between 150k-500k, and small counties as those with a population under 150k.