With the Fourth of July this week, Jacob Evans, a father of six and widower of a woman killed by a drunk driver, is encouraging Santa Clarita residents to not drive drunk this holiday. 

With the Fourth of July being a day Americans remember when the country gained its freedom, Evans is urging everyone to remember their freedoms and the freedoms of everyone around them responsibly.  

“I love the Fourth of July. It’s a wonderful time where we can stop and appreciate the freedoms we enjoy in this country,” Evans said. “It’s one of the greatest countries in the world. We have freedoms that most people can only dream of.” 

However, the rate of fatal DUI car crashes is the highest during the Fourth of July, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

“At this time, I ask you to take time to not only think of your freedoms, but the freedom of those around you,” Evans said. 

Additionally, more drunk driving incidents occurred in July between 2007 and 2011, 9.5 percent more than any other month, according to officials. 

Forty percent of all highway deaths between 2007 and 2011 were caused by Fourth Of July weekend drunk driving incidents, and 86 percent of these drunk driving crashes happened on non-interstate roads.     

“A year and a half ago someone made a decision that seriously impacted my life,” Evans said. “They decided to drive drunk. They killed my wife, and now I have six children who aren’t going to be able to spend this holiday with the mother that gave them life.” 

With rideshare and other means of transportation available, Evans is urging those who are planning on drinking during the Fourth Of July to not make a bad decision that could seriously impact the lives of others and their own. 

“Please, with Uber and Lyft you have options that make it possible for you to get home safely, no matter what you want to do to celebrate the holidays,” he said. “Please think about the others around you. Don’t drink and drive.”

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