Perhaps the best thing about 4th of July this year is that it falls on a Monday, which means it is a 3-day weekend. This allows many people to go out of town and celebrate. However, before you take off, we recommend you plan out your itinerary and do some research, not on where to go and what to eat, but on the laws of what you can and cannot do.
We recommend looking up driving, drinking, and most importantly for this July 4 weekend; fireworks laws. For example, in Santa Ana, it is legal to turn right on red, but illegal in other states. In Santa Ana, the legal BAC is 0.08%; the legal limit in other states may be higher or lower. In Santa Ana, many parks and beaches do not allow open alcohol containers, which may be different for other states. In Santa Ana, fireworks are categorized as either Dangerous, illegal for the public to purchase and use, or Safe and Sane, legal for the public to purchase and use. In other states, maybe all fireworks are illegal, no exceptions.
It is very important to read up on some of the laws of where you are going because you certainly do not want to be arrested out-of-state. This not only ruins your weekend, but it also creates a huge hassle for having to deal with the situation later on.
If you are staying right at home this July 4th and instead have friends and family coming from out-of-town, make sure to keep them in check and keep an eye on them. They too should read up on our laws here, or you should inform them; like it’s illegal to drive and be on the phone at the same time. Overall, we want as few people in trouble as possible.