MILWAUKEE — The second deadliest holiday on the roads is approaching. Labor Day is not just the unofficial end to summer, it also has a high number of deadly crashes.
John Levine getting ready to celebrate the holiday in Milwaukee.
“Probably having a barbecue with friends,” said Levine. “Going to cook up some ribs and make some chicken and some pork, something like that."
But as people travel to and from their Labor Day activities, Zutobi, a driver education platform, finds too many people are dying on the roads.
"Statistics show us that Labor Day is the second deadliest holiday to drive in Wisconsin because Memorial Day is the first position. Over the past five years, 42 lives were lost during Labor Day and 40% lost due to driving under the influence,” said Hanna Mishchenko, communication lead from Zutobi.
The second biggest reason for people dying on the roads is speeding.
It did not come as a surprise for Britt Nelson and his wife who are visiting Milwaukee for the holiday weekend. They have already seen people driving aggressively.
"They are trying to get to where they want to be and they are not giving enough space between vehicles and whatnot and distracted driving,” said Nelson.
You do not have to travel far or on a major road to be involved in a deadly crash. The American Safety Council estimates most people only drive an hour or two away from home during the Labor Day weekend. And numbers from the U.S. Department of Transportation show 87 percent of deadly speed-related crashes happen on local roads as opposed to interstates.
Experts say to be safe while you are driving, make sure you are driving defensively. That includes leaving an extra following distance between you and the cars in front of you in case there is a crash.
If you are celebrating, make sure you have a designated driver. Finally, buckle up, according to the National Transportation Highway Safety Administration (NTHSA) more than half of people who die in crashes are not wearing a seat belt.
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