Driving, Fourth Of July | featured news

The Fourth of July holiday traditionally is a time for cookouts and fireworks that celebrate America's independence. But it's also a time when traffic deaths rise dramatically. From 2006 through 2010, July 4 was the deadliest day on American roads, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

With gas prices 80 cents a gallon higher than they were a year ago, fewer Washington area residents plan to drive when traveling over the coming holiday weekend. But AAA’s annual survey of Fourth of July weekend travel found a 22 percent jump in the number of area residents who said they plan to fly somewhere.