On behalf of Greenberg & Walden, LLC posted in Drunk Driving Accidents on Friday, November 17, 2017.
For years, bartenders and police officers have been noticing a trend: There are lot of people who get absolutely blitzed on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Where and why the trend started is open to question, but it’s definitely become a social phenomenon with a life of its own. This means that drivers need to be wary if they’re on the road on “Drinksgiving.”
Here are some facts you should know:
- Alcohol-related highway deaths surge during the Thanksgiving weekend. The entire year sees about 30 percent of highway deaths related to alcohol. On Thanksgiving weekend, 40 percent of highway deaths are related to alcohol.
- The only holiday that’s worse for alcohol-related deaths on the road is New Year’s.
- Between “Blackout Wednesday” and New Year’s Day, around 1,200 people will die on the nation’s roads due to alcohol-related crashes. Around another 25,000 will be injured.
- About 30 percent of people who are on monitoring or required to avoid alcohol will violate the terms of their probation or parole during Thanksgiving weekend.
When you factor those pieces of information in with the fact that around 38 million people will take to the roads sometime over the Thanksgiving holiday, it quickly becomes apparent why there’s cause for concern. That’s a lot of families on the road — and a lot of potentially drunk drivers at the same time.
If you might be drinking the night before Thanksgiving, plan ahead. Arrange for a friend who is sober to go with you or pick you up. Call a cab or call an Uber if you don’t have any other options. Otherwise, you run the risk of being involved in an accident that could have serious long-term consequences for both yourself and others.
If you’re involved in an accident with drunk driver (or a hungover one) this Thanksgiving weekend, make certain that you explore all your available legal options before you settle with the insurance company.
Source: PR Newswire, “Thanksgiving Eve kicks off deadliest season for drunk driving,” accessed Nov. 17, 2017
