ARLINGTON, Va., July 1 (UPI) -- More than 300 are likely to die in traffic accidents over the Fourth of July weekend with July 4 threatening to be the deadliest day, a study said.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a Virginia-based group best known for vehicle crash tests, looked at federal statistics on fatal motor vehicle accidents over 17 years. The analysis showed an average of 161 people die in road crashes nationwide on Independence Day, about 40 percent more than occur on an average day.
July 3rd was the second worst day for motor vehicle fatalities between 1986 and 2002.
Six of the 10 days with the most fatalities were holidays or around holidays -- including December 23, January 1, and September 2.
"It is documented that at least 40 percent of all the fatalities on the Fourth of July are related to high blood alcohol concentrations," said Joe Thomas, vice president for GEICO Insurance in Virginia Beach, Va.
Three-quarters of crash fatalities were vehicle occupants, 13 percent pedestrians and 7 percent motorcyclists, the study said.
