ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- While more than 100 people die on U.S. roads every day, the highest average fatality rate each year falls on the Fourth of July, researchers say.
Researchers from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety analyzed data from the national Fatality Analysis Reporting System for the years 1986 to 2002. They found that an average of 117 died in traffic every day but the figure could go as high as 252 deaths on any one day.
The average toll of road deaths was higher on Independence Day, July 4, than on any other day of the year across the whole study period. Alcohol tended to be involved in a higher proportion of the Independence Day deaths than on other days.
New Year's day racked up the highest number of pedestrian deaths from car crashes and ranked fifth for the highest number of daily deaths, overall.
More deaths occurred on Saturday than any other day of the week.
