Emily Braman waves a flag at a float in the 2013 Howdy Pardners Fourth of July Parade. This year’s parade starts at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Emily Braman waves a flag at a float in the 2013 Howdy Pardners Fourth of July Parade. This year’s parade starts at 10 a.m. on Monday.
There’s nothing quite like the Fourth of July in the Tetons or floating down the Snake.
To ensure you celebrate safely, the Jackson Hole Daily gathered some tips from local law enforcement, Wyoming Highway Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard on driving, biking, boating and firework-ing carefully.
So while you’re loading up on water, hot dogs and sunscreen, take a moment to review these tips for a safe and happy Fourth with loved ones.
While driving: According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, in 2020, 493 people died in motor vehicle crashes over the July 4 holiday period. Forty-one percent (201) of those fatalities occurred in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.
Nighttime hours are especially dangerous: The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2020 was 3.1 times higher at night than during the day. Over the 2020 July 4 holiday period, of the 201 people who died in alcohol-impaired motor vehicle traffic crashes, 85% of the fatalities occurred in nighttime crashes.
Not sure what counts as “drunk driving?” Everywhere in the United States, driving with a BAC of .08 or higher is illegal.
If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact the Wyoming Highway Patrol at 307-777-4321 or 911.
Always remember to plan ahead when you will be celebrating with alcohol. Make arrangements for a sober driver to take you home if you plan to drink, take the bus or download the Start Bus On-Demand app to schedule a free ride if you’ll be traveling between the western boundary of Karns Meadow and town’s eastern limits.
If you’re party-hopping, walk or bicycle. Which brings us to our next round of tips.
While biking: Now that the Snow King fireworks are open to pre-pandemic congregation, Lt. Russ Ruschill of the Jackson Police Department has some tips on biking around town safely.
Wear your helmet. No surprise here.
Stick to bike paths and roads with bike lanes, such as the Willow St. corridor. Avoid roads like Flat Creek Dr. and Virginian Ln., which don’t have dedicated bike lanes.
Be high visibility. In addition to wearing reflective or fluorescent clothing, “Make sure you have a head lamp to make it easier for motorists and pedestrians to see as well as a rear facing red light for visibility purposes,” Ruschill said. “And be vigilant at stopping at stop signs.”
Mind the congestion. “After the Snow King fireworks is when we see a lot of congestion — people in vehicles and on bikes leaving at the same time,” Ruschill said. “If you can, I suggest waiting 25 minutes before departing.”
While boating: We’re all for revelry and beating the heat on a water craft, but keep in mind that we still have historically high river flows combined with cold temperatures.
“Historically we’ve seen a lot of river use over the Fourth,” Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr said. “We ask folks to use extreme caution; we’ve still got some heavy flows plus our water temps are really cold, too, so you don’t have a lot of time before you start to lose mobility.”
Carr asks everyone to please wear life jackets and boat sober.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, alcohol continued to be the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents in 2021, accounting for 86 deaths, or 16% of total fatalities.
“We encourage people to boat safely and leave the alcohol for afterward,” Carr said.
If you need a little more incentive, the U.S. Coast Guard released statistics on recreational boating incidents in 2021. Where the cause of death was known, 81% of fatal boating accident victims drowned. Of those drowning victims with reported life jacket usage, 83% were not wearing a life jacket.
The Coast Guard also encourages all boaters to take a boating safety course that meets the National Boating Education Standards before hitting the water. Operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, machinery failure and excessive speed ranked as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.
In addition to wearing a life jacket and taking a boating safety course, the Coast Guard recommends all boaters attach the engine cut-off switch and get a free vessel safety check.
Fire safety: Fireworks are banned in Teton except through permit, like the Snow King and Teton Village firework shows.
Never grill indoors, such as inside tents, vehicles or other enclosed spaces. Grilling fires spark more than 10,000 home fires on average each year in the U.S., according to the American Red Cross.
Make sure campfires are dead out. Fire danger is increasing.
Always have a bucket of water and a water hose nearby.
Contact Kate Ready at 732-7076 or kready@jhnewsandguide.com.
Kate Ready covers criminal justice and emergency news. Originally from Denver, Kate studied English Literature at UC Berkeley and is excited to bring her love for the mountains and storytelling to Jackson.
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