The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is a great time to open up your distillery to tours and guests. It’s also the deadliest time of year for drunk driving, binge drinking, and alcohol related fatalities. Remember to share your craft spirits responsibly.
One of the most troubling trends of the season is a substantial rise in binge drinking and DUIs on Thanksgiving Eve, termed “Blackout Wednesday” or “Drinksgiving” in many cities. The day before Thanksgiving has become particularly high-risk for college students, and bars in some urban areas report seeing more business on that day than St. Patrick’s Day or New Year’s. AMS reports that alcohol violations are as much as 37% higher on Blackout Wednesday–a larger jump than on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas.
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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 3,857 alcohol-related traffic deaths during December between 2009 and 2013. On average, 728 people are injured or killed in drunk-driving crashes each day during the holiday season.
Sober Days for the Holidays
Law enforcement agencies throughout the country will be running roadside sobriety checkpoints, including the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign organized by NHTSA. In addition, AMS encourages everyone take some simple steps to celebrate safely:
- Plan ahead! Don’t wait until you start drinking to figure out how you’re getting home.
- Add contact information for local cab companies or car services into your phone or keep it handy. Many companies even offer special fares during some holidays, so check ahead.
- Download and pre-populate your information for ride-sharing apps to make it easy to hail a ride at the end of the evening.
- Identify a Designated Driver for the evening and STICK WITH IT. If plans change, have a back-up, such as one of the options above.
Be safe out there, drink and share responsibly.
