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The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, this year November 22nd, is usually a day involving friends reuniting and participating in celebrations that may involve alcohol.
Buzzed driving is prevalent over Thanksgiving due in part to a cultural phenomenon like “Blackout Wednesday”, also known as Drinksgiving, which highlights and even encourages the heavy consumption of alcohol and drugs through the holiday weekend. Impaired driving related crashes spike during the Thanksgiving holiday season.
Sobering Statistics:
- Approximately one-third of fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States involve drunk drivers (with BACs at or above .08 g/dL). In 2021, there were 13,384 people killed in drunk-driving crashes.
- From 2017 to 2021, 137 drivers involved in fatal crashes on Thanksgiving Eve (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.) were alcohol impaired. In 2021 alone, 36 drivers were alcohol-impaired in fatal crashes on Thanksgiving Eve.
- From 2017 to 2021, young drivers ages 21-24 represented the largest percentage (44%) of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes on Thanksgiving Eve
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