PSA: 4th of July named most dangerous driving holiday, so be safe out there

On Sunday, the United States of America will celebrate its 234th birthday, and rightfully so, 4th of July festivities will be taking place all around the country – cookouts, camping trips and pool-side relaxation are not out of the question.

But for those of us who will be out on the road, a report from State Farm Insurance brings some interesting information to light: 4th of July averages more collision claims than any other holiday. On average, State Farm policyholders have filed 6,031 claims on July 4th over the past five years. Yikes. We should point out, though, that this is still below the non-holiday average of 7,435 claims made during the same five-year period. It's something to consider nonetheless. These facts and more can be found in State Farm's press release, after the jump.

Drive safely, folks, and from all of us at Autoblog, Happy 4th.

[Source: State Farm Insurance | Image: Corvette Fever]
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Insurer Data Shows 4th of July is Most Dangerous Driving Holiday

BLOOMINGTON, Ill., July 1 -- According to State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company claims data, vehicle crashes are more likely on the 4th of July than on other major U.S. holidays.

An average of 6,031 collision claims has been made by State Farm policyholders on July 4th over the past five years (2005 to 2009). New Years Day is a distant second with 5,403 State Farm collision claims per day. Memorial Day is a close third with 5,321, followed by Easter (5,261), Labor Day (5,211), Thanksgiving (4,271) and Christmas (4,092).

However, all seven major holidays produce fewer crashes than do most other days of the year. The average number of collision claims made per day by State Farm's auto policyholders over the last five years is 7,435.

"We tend to associate holidays with driving and driving with crashes," says State Farm Vice President-Strategic Resources Laurette Stiles. "But the fact is we are even more susceptible to collisions on a regular old day when we are driving to and from work and making all of the other little trips we routinely make."

Nonetheless, State Farm encourages motorists to be cautious this weekend as the nation celebrates birthday No. 234.

State Farm is the No. 1 insurer of vehicles in the country; almost one of every five vehicles insured in the United States is insured by State Farm.

State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S., is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada. State Farm's 17,700 agents and more than 67,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – almost 79 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 34 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.

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