Finally what we’ve all been waiting for – a three day weekend.

But, more importantly, it’s Independence Day! The day we celebrate this wonderful country we live in, work in, and buy insurance in!

With the Fourth of July comes beach visits, fireworks, and a lot of fun. I know Brown-Phillips Insurance will be on Fayetteville Street in Raleigh for festivities. However, the Fourth also comes with a lot of driving, which can result in a lot of accidents. The Fourth of July has been found by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to have more fatal car accidents than any other day of the year with 592 deaths. But don’t unpack the car yet! We have a few tips so you can have a safe holiday.

Always make sure everyone is buckled up.
Everyone has heard of the “click it or ticket” campaign because it is one of the most successful seatbelt campaigns in the country. Did you know that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of a fatal injury by 45%?
Leave early.
While you may have to wake up with the chickens in order to be packed up and ready to go, your life is much more important than an extra hour of sleep. TODAY’s Dylan Dreyer recommends leaving Friday before 7 a.m. or Saturday before 11 a.m. According to traffic and navigation app Waze, the worst time to travel is Thursday and Friday between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. And for the return trip, avoid driving Monday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.*
Print out the directions ahead of time.
You don’t want to have to explain that the reason you rear-ended someone is because you missed what the GPS said to you and you frantically had to make sure you hadn’t missed your turn.

Enjoy your Fourth of July and stay safe! We’ll see you Tuesday!

*This information is from TODAY.