For every person who joyfully anticipates Fourth of July celebrations, there is someone who worries about the dangers. The Fourth of July, with its fireworks displays and outdoor barbecues, poses unique hazards. Those who are inclined to worry focus on the risks of handling fireworks; they fear that a firework will go rogue and burn onlookers, that it will malfunction and explode as the bravest person in attendance lights it, or even that it will spill its fire into someone’s shoe. There are also people who worry that the usual tension that pervades family gatherings and neighborhood block parties will escalate into violence. Germophobes may even focus on the food safety risks, all those grubby hands reaching into the same platter of burgers, and nothing good can happen when potato salad sits in the sun for hours.
Traffic accidents are not usually high on people’s lists of Fourth of July worries; they save those worries for the holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. The summer heat, the festive mood, and the noisy fireworks are even more dangerous to motorists than they are to people who choose somewhere stationary to ride out the festivities. If you got injured in a car accident during the Fourth of July weekend, contact a Santa Fe car accident lawyer.
Firework Distractions
Fireworks sound like explosions because they are. If you are used to blocking out distractions when you drive, from your children whining to your dog barking to your phone pinging as notifications arrive, the thunderous sound of fireworks can startle you. The distraction is even worse when someone by the side of the road lights a firework, and its fire shoots directly across your path. It is best to get to your destination before dark and stay there.
Drunk Driving
Drunk driving is dangerous any time of year, but holiday weekends are a perfect storm for accidents where alcohol is a factor. People might even get even drunker on the Fourth of July, because the long hours of daylight make them feel like it is still earlier, and the heat makes them thirsty.
Extreme Heat
This year, the whole country is experiencing a heatwave where the heat index makes the outdoor temperature feel like it is above 100 degrees, but triple-digit temperatures are nothing new in the New Mexico summer. In the extreme heat, simply stepping outside of your air-conditioned house is a hazard. Your car can break down if its engine gets too hot. Attending to a disabled vehicle brings its own dangers. Many accidents happen when a car strikes a broken-down vehicle, and the pedestrians are trying to push the car out of the road to safety; this is especially risky at night and on highways where there are no traffic lights.
Contact Slate Stern About Car Accident Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in car accidents in New Mexico. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://www.koat.com/article/independence-day-traffic-death-estimates/71679712
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