Hey, it’s practically summer: Barbecues, beaches, fairs, festivals, and an unsettling spike in accidental death, according to the fun folks at the National Safety Council. The New York Post reported that the nonprofit, nongovernmental NSC recently laid out the hard, cold facts about the hottest, most dangerous season of all. Since summer includes activities like drinking, driving, and swimming in large bodies of waters where riptides and undertows exist, it’s not all that surprising: “Fatal accidents spike in July and August as the season of long days, barbecues and beach time brings ample opportunity for death by choking, drowning and car crashes.”
Although the country’s overall mortality rate has declined, accidental deaths are on the rise, aided by the growing epidemic of opioid addiction. So now impaired drivers aren’t just drunk behind the wheel, they may be popping pills as well (as is suspected in Tiger Woods’ recent DUI arrest, for example). NSC spokesperson Maureen Vogel stresses, “The period between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the hundred deadliest days for drivers, particularly for teen drivers,” as these altered states of driving brought on by summer fun prove to be even more hazardous than the icy road conditions of winter. Add in the choking hazards brought on by all the fair and bbq eating, and those deadly bodies of water, and we’ll practically breath a sigh of relief when September arrives—and try to be extra-cognizant of all those hazards mentioned above in the meantime.