According to ValuePenguin, the Fourth of July is the deadliest of six major holidays when it comes to DUI fatalities. West Virginia residents will want to think twice about going on a long road trip during this holiday. A total of 1,192 people died in DUI-related crashes on this day between 2010 and 2017. Memorial Day came in second with 1,105 fatalities. This was followed by Labor Day, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Independence Day is also a bad day for DUI fatalities when compared to other summer days. In fact, the risk for a DUI fatality spiked 57% for that day in 2017 when compared to the average summer day. On the Fourth of July weekend, 2017, a total of 184 people in DUI crashes. In an equivalent four-to-five-day span in the summer, the average number of DUI fatalities was 117.
In addition, more DUI fatalities arise when the holiday falls in the middle of the week. A Wednesday Fourth of July sees 43% more fatalities than a Saturday Fourth of July: 52 fatalities per day compared to 36.3. Should a drunk driver survive a crash, he or she can expect to face fines, up to one year of jail time (for a first-time offender) and a license suspension lasting about 90 days.
The driver’s auto insurance company may also expect to face an accident claim from the victim(s) of the traffic accident. Drunk driving is a form of negligence, and if victims themselves did not contribute more to the crash than the defendant, they may be eligible for compensation. It might be a good idea to hire a lawyer, though, since the insurance company will likely do everything it can to deny the claim or get victims to agree to a low settlement.