What Is the Deadliest Holiday to Drive in the US?

Quick answer: The deadliest holiday to drive in the United States is the Fourth of July. From 2020 to 2024, an average of 152 people died in crashes on July 4, about 35% more than on an ordinary day (112), according to NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Labor Day weekend (145 a day) and New Year's Day (142) come next. New Year's Day has the highest share of drunk driving: 48% of deaths happened in crashes with an alcohol-impaired driver, against 31% on an average day. Thanksgiving, despite being the busiest travel holiday, is close to an ordinary day, and Christmas Day is below average.

US holidays ranked by deaths per day (2020–2024)

Average deaths per day on each holiday, compared with the average day (112 deaths), and the share of those deaths in crashes involving a driver at or over the 0.08% alcohol limit:

• July 4: 152 a day, 35% above average, 40% alcohol-impaired
• Labor Day weekend (Friday to Monday): 145 a day, 29% above, 36% alcohol-impaired
• New Year's Day: 142 a day, 26% above, 48% alcohol-impaired
• July 3 to 5: 137 a day, 22% above, 37% alcohol-impaired
• Halloween: 132 a day, 17% above, 32% alcohol-impaired
• Memorial Day weekend (Friday to Monday): 131 a day, 17% above, 38% alcohol-impaired
• Day before Thanksgiving: 120 a day, 6% above, 29% alcohol-impaired
• Thanksgiving Day: 117 a day, 5% above, 40% alcohol-impaired
• Thanksgiving, Wednesday to Sunday: 113 a day, 1% above, 34% alcohol-impaired
• New Year's Eve: 112 a day, the same as average, 32% alcohol-impaired
• Christmas Eve: 107 a day, 5% below, 36% alcohol-impaired
• Christmas Day: 103 a day, 9% below, 37% alcohol-impaired

Why the summer holidays are deadliest

July 4, Labor Day and Memorial Day all fall in the summer driving season, with road trips, motorcycling and outdoor parties, and drinking plays a larger part than on an ordinary day: 40% of July 4 deaths involve an alcohol-impaired driver, against 31% on an average day.

New Year's Day: the drunk driving holiday

Deaths on New Year's Day are 26% above average, but what stands out is the cause: almost half (48%) involve an alcohol-impaired driver, the highest share of any holiday. 44% of New Year's Day deaths happen between midnight and 6am, at the end of New Year's Eve celebrations, and they count on January 1 rather than December 31, which is why the Eve itself looks like an ordinary day. January 1 was also the single deadliest date of the year for pedestrians in 2020 to 2024.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are safer than people think

Thanksgiving is one of the heaviest travel periods of the year, yet deaths per day over the Wednesday-to-Sunday weekend were only 1% above an ordinary day. The exception is alcohol on the day itself: 40% of Thanksgiving Day deaths involve an alcohol-impaired driver, well above the 31% average. The day before Thanksgiving, often described as a big drinking night, recorded a lower share (29%), but crashes after midnight that night count on Thanksgiving Day. Christmas Day and the days around it record fewer deaths than an ordinary day.

Upcoming dates: Thanksgiving is on Thursday, November 26, 2026, Christmas Day falls on a Friday, and New Year's Day 2027 on a Friday.

How to get through a holiday drive safely

• Plan a sober ride before the party starts: a designated driver, a taxi or rideshare, or a bed for the night.
• Be most careful after midnight on New Year's Day and on the evening of July 4, when impaired drivers are most common.
• On long holiday trips, take a break every two hours and share the driving.
• Wear a seat belt on every trip, including short ones to family nearby.
• The legal limits are on the US drunk driving limit page, and state figures on drunk driving deaths by state.

How these numbers were counted

All figures are from NHTSA's FARS annual files for 2020 to 2024, the census of crashes on US public roads in which someone died within 30 days (public domain). Deaths are counted by the date of the crash and averaged over the five years. "Alcohol-impaired" follows NHTSA's definition: a crash in which at least one driver had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.08 g/dL or higher, using NHTSA's imputed BAC values for drivers who were not tested. Holidays fall on different weekdays each year, and these are deaths per day, not per mile driven, so they do not adjust for how much more or less people drive on each holiday. More: is Halloween the deadliest night for pedestrians, what time of day most road accidents happen and car accidents by state.