BEAUMONT, Texas — After the first 4th of July weekend since the pandemic, more people appeared to be on the roads this year.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that July 4 is the most hazardous day to be out on the roads, and alcohol plays a large part in that.
Several crashes happened this weekend. Two of those came from Chambers County, and one of them came from Beaumont.
Beaumont Police responded to a crash on the service road in the 1100 block of Interstate 10 near the Super 8 Motel, July 4 at 1:36 a.m.
There were seven occupants, four adults and three children, in the car at the time of the crash. The driver, Mauricio Miranda, a 29-year-old Beaumont man, and his daughter, 9-year-old Ashlech Gonzalez, were killed in the crash.
The Chambers County Sheriff's Office reports that while there was no sign of drunk driving involved in the two crashes from their county, both of them were due to drivers ignoring "no pass zones."
The first was reported on State Highway 124 in Crystal Beach Saturday. Officials said it was a head-on collision, and both drivers had to be taken to the hospital.
On Independence Day, another crash happened along Interstate 10.
According to the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, a person was driving at a high speed on the inside shoulder of Interstate 10 eastbound, near old Needlepoint Road, lost control and hit another car.
The driver’s name has not been released, but they were air lifted to the hospital.
These tips say that drivers should pay attention to road signs, closures, work zones and no pass zones, not participate in drinking and driving, not use their cell phone while driving, and if a they see construction or broken traffic lights, they should slow down.
According to the National Safety Council, car travel has the highest fatality rate compared to any other form of transportation.
There was an increase in estimated deaths showing a more than 480 car related deaths this year compared to the roughly 400 deaths last year on Independence Day.