The biggest danger may not be traffic this July Fourth weekend \u2014 it could be the state you\u2019re driving through.<\/p>\n
North Dakota ranked as the nation\u2019s most dangerous state for July 4th travel, recording 0.28 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. That\u2019s more than seven times the rate of Rhode Island, which ranked safest at just 0.04, according to a new MoneyGeek analysis<\/a> of federal crash data.<\/p>\n From 2020 to 2024, the five most recent years of final federal crash data, 2,724 people were killed in US crashes during the holiday period<\/a>.<\/p>\n A motor home in North Dakota accidentally rolled down into a ravine. The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/p>\n Independence Day is America\u2019s second deadliest major holiday<\/a> for drunk driving, second only to cocktail-happy New Year\u2019s Eve \u2014 with 38% of drivers killed over the past five years legally drunk, the highest impaired-driver share of any major holiday.<\/p>\n The study ranked every state and Washington, DC, by fatal crashes per 100 million miles driven \u2014 and the results may surprise drivers.<\/p>\n After North Dakota, Delaware, Nevada, New Mexico and Montana rounded out the five most dangerous states.<\/p>\n Many of the highest-risk states have something in common: long, high-speed rural highways, lighter traffic enforcement, lower population density and longer trips to trauma centers after serious crashes, researchers said. <\/p>\n \u201cFor New Yorkers and those from Jersey heading out on July 4th \u2026 the numbers are reassuring,\u201d said Nathan Paulus, Head of Content and SEO at MoneyGeek. \u201cNew York ranks 39th and New Jersey 48th out of 51 states. Both are safer than the national average per mile driven.\u201d<\/p>\n New York and New Jersey may be crowded, but they rank low on the scale of the most dangerous states. Christopher Sadowski for NY Post<\/p>\n