Every year, the Fourth of July is a holiday to celebrate family, friends, food, fireworks, and freedom. Wide consumption of alcohol, and increasingly marijuana, has become a mainstay of this annual patriotic celebration. In conjunction with this holiday, a spike in drunk driving related fatalities is seen and the Fourth of July is consistently one of the holiday periods with the highest number of alcohol impaired crash fatalities each year. With the holiday falling over a weekend this year, there may be more celebrating than usual. It's important to remember what's at stake.

Unfortunate Statistics

This American holiday is one of the deadliest holidays of the year due to drunk driving crashes. From 2014 to 2018, there were 812 people killed in drunk driving crashes over the Fourth of July holiday periods.

Celebrate with a plan

Always remember to plan ahead if you will be celebrating. If you plan to drink, plan for a sober driver to take you home. Is it your turn to be the designated driver? Take that role seriously and do not consume alcohol, not even one drink. Celebrate with a nonalcoholic beverage, like a root beer float, and leave the alcohol to the passengers. Remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.

Red, white, & blue (plus lots of green): The Cost of Drunk Driving

On average, a DUI can set you back $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, court costs, lost time at work, higher insurance rates, car towing, and more. Drinking and driving could cause you to lose your driver’s license and your vehicle. This could inhibit you from getting to work, resulting in lost wages and, potentially, job loss.

Your forefathers fought for freedom... Don’t lose it to a DUI!

Hot dogs, fireworks, patriotic popsicles… what’s your favorite part of July 4th celebrations? Make sure you’re around for next year’s festivities by committing to sober driving today. If you feel different, you drive different. For more ideas on celebrating life safely, follow our blog.  

Many facts/statistics mentioned in this post were provided by United States Department of Transportation