Saw this on WalletPop.com this AM -

There’s one reason not to cheer for Independence Day: It’s one of the deadliest holiday for alcohol-related car crashes. Statistics gathered over the past 25 years show that, on average, nearly 51 percent of all deadly traffic crashes on July 4 are related to alcohol — although that percentage varies from year to year.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been tracking car crash statistics for a quarter of a century. Holidays that sometimes rival the Fourth of July for fatalities include New Year’s Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Eric Bolton, spokesperson for NHTSA, says that when people think of a deadly holiday “the intuitive thought would be New Year’s Day.” However, that association may be precisely why people stay off the roads on New Year’s than they do on July 4, he says. (While the New Year’s statistics are totaled over three days, the Fourth of July stats are for one day.)

Two years ago, 200 people reportedly died in car accidents on July 4. Out of that total, 44 percent died as a result of alcohol-impaired driving. By comparison, 391 people died that same year during a three-day period surrounding New Year’s Day (NHTSA judges the length of a holiday based on which day of the week it falls). In that case, 40 percent were alcohol-related.

No matter what day it is, most crash fatalities occur on two-lane roads. Weekends are more dangerous than weekdays and more people die while driving in rain compared to snow or sleet.

Since I know that many will be starting their three-day “Independence Day” weekend early this afternoon, I wanted to remind all to be alert on the roads. And, of course, if you’re drinking alcohol at some point, please don’t drive at the same time or directly thereafter.