Food, Travel and Fireworks: Exactly how do Americans celebrate the Fourth of July?
Break out the hot dogs and cue the fireworks! Wednesday, July 4, 2018, marks our great nation’s 242nd birthday. So how do we, the great people, choose to celebrate?
Below are a few fun facts plus some helpful reminders:
FOOD & DRINK
- 150 million hot dogs are consumed on Independence Day.
- 190 million pounds of beef are bought during the two weeks leading up to July 4th.
- 700 million pounds of chicken are purchased the week leading up to holiday.
- REMEMBER: Don’t forget the cocktails! Last year, Americans spent over $1 billion on beer and over $560 million on wine. Not too shabby.
TRAVEL
- A record high 46.9 million Americans will travel 50-plus miles from home this holiday weekend.
- 8 million will travel by plane, while 85 percent of travelers will drive to their destination.
- REMEMBER: Uber is your friend! Fourth of July is the deadliest holiday weekend thanks to people both drinking and driving. In 2016, 188 people died in a crash involving a driver with a BAC of .08 or more.
FIREWORKS
- Over $825 million is spent on July fireworks with over 16 thousand displays across the country.
- 15 million people will watch the Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular, a hallmark event that costs about $6 million for the fireworks alone.
- Only two states have banned ALL consumer fireworks: Delaware and Massachusetts .
- REMEMBER: Safety! At least eight people lost their lives in fireworks mishaps in 2017 while another 12,900 ended up in hospital emergency rooms with injuries
So gather with friends and family, eat all the food, enjoy a cold one and watch the fireworks light up the sky. Cheers to another trip around the sun, America. From all of us here at HMA Public Relations, we wish you a very happy and safe Fourth of July!
SOURCES: American Automobile Association, American Pyrotechnics Association, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, WalletHub.com
