The night before Thanksgiving has slowly turned into something some law enforcement agencies are calling ‘Drinksgiving”.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the night before Thanksgiving is becoming even more deadly than New Year’s Eve.
The agency says from 2013 to 2017, more than 800 people were killed in alcohol related crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The period it focused on was from Wednesday night to early Monday morning.
The NHTSA says one reason for the increase is because some bars and restaurants offer Blackout Wednesday drink specials.
During the 2018 Thanksgiving holiday, DPS troopers in Texas issued more than 74,000 traffic citations and warnings, and 337 of those were DWI arrests
In addition to the traditional campaigns like ‘Click it or Ticket’, the highway safety administration also has a campaign called ‘Boycott Blackout Wednesday’ to discourage driving drunk.
Along with being responsible with alcohol, Texas Department of Public Safety officials say to eliminate distractions while driving, including the use of mobile devices.
You also need to move over or slow down for police, fire, ems, Texas Department of Transportation vehicles and tow trucks that are stopped on the side of the road with emergency lights activated.
Remember there many different agencies and nonprofits around San Antonio that are dedicated to getting you to your destination safely, if you have had too much to drink.