Independence Day in the United States

The 4^th of July is Independence Day in the United States. It is also the deadliest holiday in the country.

What are the dangers and what art the statistics?

Danger #1: Traffic-related deaths are the leading cause of death and injury during the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has stated that the Fourth of July is the worst day of the year for fatal car crashes. Estimates range from 40%-50% of all fatal accidents this weekend will be caused by drunk driving.

Last Fourth of July, Americans cracked open about 68 million cases of beer. In fact, more beer is sold on Uncle Sam’s birthday than on any other holiday including St. Patrick’s Day and New Year’s Eve.

Danger #2: Fireworks

There are an average of 230 firework-related injuries per day during the 4^th of July weekend. For those of you who like statistics, here are some.

Injuries by Body Parts

·        Hands/fingers:36%;

·         Head, faces, ears: 19%

·         Eyes: 19%

·         Trunk: 11%

·         Legs: 10%

·         Arms: 5%

Injuries by Age

·         0-4: 9%

·         5-9: 15%

·         10-14: 11%

·         15-19: 12%

·         20-24: 11%

·         25-44: 34%

·         45-64: 9%

More:

·         Gender: Men 74%, Women 25%. (no surprise here)

·         Sparklers and firecrackers accounted for 40% of all injuries.

·         Sparklers can burn at a temperature of 2,000 degrees hot enough to melt metal. Children under 5 using sparklers and other “safer” options accounted for more than 40 percent of the injuries.

·         Only 4% of injuries were due to public displays.

Danger #3: Celebratory Gun Fire

Some people were absent for the elementary school explanation of gravity; what goes up must come down. These geniuses come out in droves for 4^th of July celebrations. Bullet goes up fast and hard, bullets come down, bullets come back down and can hit people. Complicated principle I know. The most common site of injury is the head and the wounds can be fatal.

Danger #3: Crowd/Riot Control

People can become unruly and caught up in a mob mentality at any time in crowds and protests.

Other dangers include heat-related illnesses, swimming accidents, and food poisoning.

Happy 4^th of July.

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