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America's most dangerous states to drive in during 4th of July
New York Post • • business
Key Points:
- North Dakota has been identified as the most dangerous state for July 4th travel, with a fatality rate of 0.28 deaths per 100 million miles, over seven times higher than the safest state, Rhode Island.
- From 2020 to 2024, 2,724 people died in U.S. crashes during the Independence Day holiday, which is the second deadliest major holiday for drunk driving, with 38% of fatalities involving legally drunk drivers.
- States with the highest risk tend to have long rural highways, lighter traffic enforcement, lower population density, and longer emergency response times; the top five most dangerous states include North Dakota, Delaware, Nevada, New Mexico, and Montana.
- The deadliest time for July 4th road fatalities is between 9 p.m. and midnight, accounting for 23% of deaths, as people head home after celebrations, emphasizing the danger of late-night driving, especially under the influence.
- Encouragingly, preliminary data show a 6.7% drop in nationwide traffic fatalities in 2025 compared to 2024, marking the second-lowest fatality rate per mile driven on record, despite higher total deaths in populous states like California, Texas, and Florida.
