Once again, Itasca’s National Safety Council has issued its warning about July, which statistics show is the most dangerous month of the year for fatal injuries due to accidents. For a variety of reasons, deaths due to preventable events jump up 11% this month – making it all the more important for everyone in Indiana and Illinois to take precautions to keep safe and to protect loved ones from danger.
Higher Risk for Accident Fatalities in July
Research studies have been done for years, charting accident fatalities and times of the year, both by season (weather conditions) as well as calendar month. This month — July — has been found to be the highest risk of being in a fatal accident for Americans based upon this ongoing research from Indiana’s NSC.
July is notorious for an increased percentage of fatalities due to things like:
- Fatal car crashes
- Deaths due to drowning
- Deaths due to heat stroke
- Fatal motorcycle accidents
- Fatal aviation crashes (e.g., helicopters).
Accordingly, the NSC has issued the following safety tips for July, the most dangerous month of the year, and here they are for your convenience:
- Avoid speeding, using cell phones and driving under the influence.
- Place children in age-appropriate car seats.
- If you are flying, buy a ticket for children ages 2 and younger and place them in an FAA-approved child seat.
- Do not hold young children on your lap during a flight.
- Learn about your vehicle’s safety systems and how to use them.
- Do not operate a boat while drinking or without a boater’s license.
- Make sure children use flotation devices and everyone in your group knows how to swim.
- Stay hydrated and avoid being outside for long periods of time in the extreme heat.
- Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle.
Teenagers At High Risk of Serious Injury in July
Particularly vulnerable during the summer months, and especially July, are teenagers involved in summer fun activities as well as those teenagers driving their cars. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) considers the summer as a teenager’s “deadliest driving season,” and has researched fatal accident statistics to find that the following seven days are the most dangerous days for teenagers to be driving on the roads:
- May 20
- May 23
- June 10
- July 4
- July 9
- August 8
- August 14.
