Some friends of mine have an annual Fourth of July barbecue and picnic. They live in the mountains some 30 miles from Albuquerque, and each year, they invite out a big crowd to escape the heat and celebrate the holiday.

It takes about 45 minutes to drive out to their place. After getting off the freeway, you take a remote road that winds through the mountains. It's far from the freeways and noise of the city, and each year a bunch of people head up there for sparklers and hot dogs.

Unfortunately,  every year in this country this scenario -- driving on rural roads during July 4 -- accounts for the highest number of fatal car accidents on any one day.

According to an article in Live Science [1], July 4 is the most dangerous day of the year to be in a car. Since 1986, the most motor vehicle fatalities occur on July 3 and July 4.

Most of those fatalities occur on rural roads [2] -- classified as roads located outside of areas with a population of 5,000 or so. Rural roads, it seems, are far riskier than freeways or busier roads.

Live Science [3] listed the states with the highest number of accidents on rural roads as Maine, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Vermont, Montana, Wyoming, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

The higher fatality rates on rural routes are due to several reasons. The two deadliest types of car crashes are head-on collisions and driving off the road. Both are more likely to happen on the rural roads, which are typically two-lane, undivided highways.

Higher fatality rates are also caused by the geographic isolation of rural routes. It takes emergency service extra time to respond to crashes that are in remote locations.

Rural routes also encourage drivers to feel a false sense of security. Roads that are lightly trafficked and scenic can lull drivers into making careless mistakes.

Then there are the usual dumb things that cause people to wreck their cars. Instead of paying attention to the road, people drive too fast, get distracted by a cell phone conversation [3] or the lovely scenery, or foolishly forget about a seatbelts. They also get behind the wheel even if they've indulged in a few alcoholic drinks.

Surprisingly, this year is likely to see more drivers than ever on the roads. The average American driver doesn't seem deterred by high gas prices (or reducing their CO2 footprint [3]). According to the Miami Herald [4], the American Automobile Association [5] estimates that a record 41.1 million Americans will travel during the holiday, and most of them -- 84 percent -- will drive.

I wish I could say otherwise, but I'm going to be one of those people on the road. Unfortunately, I do have to take a couple of rural roads to reach my July 4 celebration. But, now that I have a better sense of the potential hazards, I'll be more vigilant and attentive when I'm behind the wheel.