Four Driving Safety Tips for the Fourth of July

Andy Karmy / CC

You obviously have to be careful about fireworks over Fourth of July weekend, but they’re not actually the top thing you need to worry about.

Only seven people are killed by fireworks each year.  But the National Safety Council says over 460 people will die in car crashes this weekend ALONE.  And another 50,000 will be injured.  So if you’re driving somewhere, here are four things to keep in mind . . .

1. Make sure everyone in the car has their seatbelt on.  According to the National Safety Council, 181 will survive crashes this weekend because of seatbelts.  And if we all wore them, another 110 people would survive.

2. Make sure there’s a designated driver.  Since 2010, 37% of all the fatal car crashes over Fourth of July weekend have involved alcohol.

3. Get plenty of sleep the night before you drive.  And if it’s a long trip, take a lot of breaks.  About 70,000 crashes a year are caused by people falling asleep at the wheel.

4. Don’t text and drive.  More and more studies have found that even using your speakerphone is distracting.  So it’s not worth the risk, especially with kids in the car.

And if your kids are old enough to drive, make sure THEY stay safe.  A recent survey found we’re more likely to bend the rules for driving in the summer.  Like letting them drive at night, or with friends in the car.  (PR Newswire / NSC.org / CDC.gov)