10 Deadliest Days of the Year To Drive

Lets not plan any drives for these days

By Ellen Learner
Insurance Institute

There are those who, by reason of deep-seated fear, won't get into airplanes. Some people avoid elevators, others sports stadiums. And even though it's almost impossible to stay out of cars, it's pretty much a guarantee that a disaster is going to hit a highway near you. But for those who are nervous when getting into a car, there's good news: we can now tell you which days to leave the car in the garage. You might have guessed it from the old truisms and the increased number of troopers, radar guns at the ready, hiding under bridges, but now we have the numbers to prove what we once surmised: the holidays and weekends are no time to be traveling by car.

10 Deadliest Days of the Year To Drive

1. July 4
2. July 3
3. December 23
4. August 3
5. January 1
6. August 6
7. August 4
8. August 12
9. July 2
10. September 2

Vacations and driving don't mix
The 4th of July, sadly, is the day that we kill each other in the highest numbers on the road. Between 1986 and 2002 there were, on the average, 161 people killed on our highways and byways on Independence Day. July 3, is the second deadliest day, followed by a hurrying-home-for-the-holiday-but-going-to-the-cemetery-instead December 23rd. New Year's Day and Labor Day are in the running as well. Naturally, the increased numbers on the road are a factor, but as we all know, holidays=drinking=more deaths.

Death takes a holiday
Perhaps you can't avoid the trips to the in-laws on the holiday, but you can choose when to vacation. The statistics would suggest that you stay out of the car and stick to the beach in August. Deaths are directly related to the number of miles driven, and August, our biggest month for driving, averages the greatest number of crash deaths (132) per day. Prefer to pick one day per week? Saturday is the cruelest day of all, and weekend evenings from 9 PM to 10 PM is the most dangerous hour.