CHICAGO — On the 4th of July, be careful out there. It's the most dangerous day for driving, experts say.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Data analyzed fatal crashes between 1998 and 2014 to conclude Independence Day is the nation's most dangerous. The results confirmed trends in an earlier examination of traffic deaths between 1986 and 2002, which also found the Fourth of July had the most crash deaths.
The most recent study found July 4 had an average of 141 traffic fatalities nationwide, compared to 106 on an average day of the year.
July 4 had the highest number of motorcycle deaths as well, about ten percent of the total for the day, the IIHD reported.
In the earlier study, researchers found that 41 percent of fatal car crashes on July 4 involved alcohol.
There is good news, says the IIHD: Overall roadway deaths on July 4 is declining. Between 1986 and 2002, July 4 saw an average of 161 deaths per holiday.
In the most recent study, New Year's Day was found to be the second deadliest day nationwide with an average of 135 fatalities.
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In Chicago in 2015, the most recent year-end data available, some 119 people were killed in traffic accidents for the entire year.
Five people are injured in car crashes every day in the city, and every three days someone is killed in traffic incidents in Chicago.
In total numbers, Downtown had the most crashes. By crashes per 100,000, the Near West Side led the city, followed by the West Side cluster of North Lawndale and Garfield Park, the city says.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel recently launched "Vision Zero," a plan to eliminate death and serious accidents by 2026.
