Wednesday is July 4, Independence Day, the most iconic American holiday and one of the deadliest of the year on the nation’s highways.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over the 2016 Fourth of July holiday from 6 p.m. July 2 to 5:59 a.m. July 6, 188 people were killed in crashes involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood-alcohol content of .08 or higher.
That number is a 28 percent increase of the 2015 total of 146 fatalities. Almost half of those who died were in a vehicle crash involving at least one driver or motorcycle operator with a blood-alcohol content of .15 or higher — almost twice the legal limit.
On this holiday, the Hawaii Police Department wants everyone to keep Hawaii free from drunken driving. If you plan on attending a celebration where there is alcohol, make a plan to get home without drinking and driving. If you are planning the party, help your guests plan for a sober ride home. Remember: Buzzed driving is drunken driving.