According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) the Fourth of July is the deadliest day of the year for American drivers. Looking at data from 1986 through 2002, the IIHS determined that an average of 161 people die each year on the 4th. That’s 12 more deaths than average on any other single day of the year. Read more: More crash deaths occur on 4th of July than any other day