Phoenix named one of the deadliest cities to drive in during Fourth of July

PHOENIX (FOX 10) -- Heat and fireworks aren't the only things you need to worry about this Fourth of July. A new study finds Phoenix is one of the most dangerous cities to drive around during this popular getaway week.

AAA says nearly 49 million people are planning to hit the road this week for Independence Day, which is up 4.1 percent from last year making it the sixth straight year of July 4th travel growth.

A study from Finder.com says Phoenix is one of the deadliest places to drive during the holiday.

The study analyzed data about the number of traffic deaths that took place in the first week of July from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration collected from 2008 to 2017.

Phoenix ranked seventh on the list during that time with 10 deaths. Houston took the top spot with 25 deaths, followed by Chicago, Los Angeles, San Antonio, New York, and Jacksonville.

Arizona also had a total of 43 traffic deaths during that time.

Vermont was deemed the safest state.

Analysts say that nearly half of the deadly crashes involved drunk drivers. The most common dates for drunk driving crashes and deaths were on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This year the holiday falls on a Thursday, which had some of the least amounts of nationwide drunk driving accidents.