Why this Fourth of July could be among the deadliest ever on the highways
NEW YORK (ABC News) - An estimated 35 million Americans will be on the roads this holiday weekend, and this year could be one of the deadliest -- due to drunk drivers, according to AAA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The National Safety Council, a nonprofit group, estimates that about 400 Americans will die on the roads this weekend, with drunk driving being the leading cause of fatalities.
"The combination of low gas prices and an improving economy is resulting in more miles being driven on our roads, unfortunately resulting in an increase in the number of deaths," said Ken Kolosh of the National Safety Council.
The Ford Motor Company has a kit using weights and goggles that mimics the effect of drunk driving, and ABC News tried the devices to get a feel for how much control a motorist loses when driving drunk. The sensation is similar to vertigo.
While I strapped on the kit, U.S. Park Police Sgt. Adam Zielinski put me through the paces of a DUI stop, and I was staggering, unable to walk even nine steps in a straight line.
"Do you think that you were able to operate a vehicle safely?" Zielinski asked.
The answer was a clear no when I couldn't even get one foot in front of the other.
And it's not just gas prices that this officer is worried about, it's the calendar, too, because today, a Friday, is a legal holiday, and Saturday is the Fourth of July.
"So you have the possibility of people attending two different events, on a Friday and a Saturday," Zielinski said. "There's just a culmination of different effects that could really be an integral part on how highway safety is this weekend."
