Where NJ ranks for deadly July Fourth travel

Where would you guess New Jersey lands among all 50 states and Washington, D.C., for fatal highway crashes over Fourth of July weekends?

I mean, we have quite the reputation, don't we? Road rage, aggressive lane changes, treating the left lane rules like a suggestion, motorcycles lane-splitting at 90 mph. Plus, it seems you hear of holiday highway tragedies every summer.

Well, believe it or not, the Garden State is one of the safest states for Fourth of July travel.

A new study from MoneyGeek ranked all 50 states based on the risk of fatal crashes during the Fourth of July travel period, and New Jersey landed at number 48, making it the fourth-safest state in the nation for the holiday.

Only three states had lower fatal crash rates during the July Fourth period. Those are Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Mario Tama, Getty Images

How the study worked

The researchers didn’t simply count how many people died in crashes. That would unfairly penalize larger states with more drivers.

Instead, they looked at fatal crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over multiple Fourth of July holidays and compared it to how many miles people drove in each state during those holiday periods. In plain English, they asked a simple question.

man driving car during daytime

How likely is a deadly crash for every mile driven?

That creates a much fairer apples-to-apples comparison between states with very different populations and traffic volumes.

Of course, no ranking doesn't mean you’re automatically safe. The Fourth of July consistently ranks among the deadliest holidays for driving because of heavier traffic, long-distance travel and impaired drivers returning from celebrations.

So which states are the most deadly?

Michael M. Santiago, Getty Images

The 10 most dangerous states for Fourth of July driving

Mississippi
Wyoming
Montana
South Carolina
New Mexico
Arkansas
South Dakota
Oklahoma
Louisiana
Alabama

So if you’re going down the Jersey Shore, heading to a barbecue, or to see fireworks this weekend, Jersey drivers can take at least a little comfort in knowing that statistically, you’re in one of the country’s safer places to be behind the wheel.

Just don’t let that encourage you to text, speed, or get behind the wheel after a few beers. Those statistics can change in a hurry

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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