July 2, 2010 - Bloomington, Ill. - 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.