If you want to reduce your chance of dying in SC over July 4th, don’t do this, data shows
Independence Day is only a few days away, and it’s gearing up to be a record-breaking week of travel for a consecutive year.
According to AAA, the American Automobile Association, 72.2 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, July 5, to reach their 4th of July destinations. It’s not a huge increase from 2025’s record of 71.8 million domestic travelers, but it’s an impressive number nonetheless.
South Carolina will likely see a significant portion of these visitors, as Myrtle Beach was named the top trending domestic travel destination for Independence Day weekend by Tripadvisor.
AAA’s report also mentioned that the primary mode of transportation that will be used on the 4th of July will be car. It’s the easiest and most obvious choice for many, but it’s also one of the most dangerous.
Between 2020 and 2024, which are the five most recent years of final federal crash data, 2,724 people were killed in crashes during the Fourth of July holiday period, according to a report from MoneyGeek.com, an online insurance marketplace. Out of all the drivers killed, 38% were legally drunk, the highest impaired-driver share of any major U.S. holiday.
To determine which states are the most dangerous to drive in during the holiday weekend, MoneyGeek.com ranked all 50 states and Washington, D.C., by holiday-period fatality rate per mile driven, drawing on NHTSA crash data.
SC had one of the highest car-crash fatality rates in the country, but its percentage of drunk drivers was even more concerning. Here’s where SC ranked for both:
SC’s car crash data for the 4th of July
In total, SC had 65 reported holiday traffic deaths in those five years of data tracking, and a rate of 0.198 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. SC ranked 12th in the nation for Independence Day fatalities, as a result.
The Palmetto State also had one of the highest drunk-driver shares in the country during the holiday weekend, MoneyGeek.com reported. Arkansas had the highest share of drunk drivers who died in a crash - 52.9%, and SC was right behind them with 52.6% of its drivers dying in a crash while drunk.
SC’s drunk-driver share is nearly 15% more than the national average.
5 deadliest driving states
If you’re planning on going out of state for Independence Day celebrations, be careful on the road in certain areas that are known for unsafe driving. These five states had the highest holiday traffic fatality rates in the country during the past 4th of July weekends:
- North Dakota: Reported 0.28 deaths per 100 miles driven
- Delaware: Reported 0.25 deaths per 100 miles driven
- Nevada: Reported 0.23 deaths per 100 miles driven
- New Mexico: 0.23 deaths per 100 miles driven
- Montana: 0.23 deaths per 100 miles driven
Methodology
Fatality data comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) final-year files. FARS, which became operational in 1975, contains data on a census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes within the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, according to their website.
A death counts as a holiday-period fatality if it occurred within 30 days of a crash on a public trafficway during the window. The rate divides pooled holiday deaths by 2024 state vehicle miles traveled from the Federal Highway Administration.