Dubbed “blackout Wednesday” or “drinksgiving,” the night before Thanksgiving has developed a reputation for heavy alcohol consumption and binge drinking, particularly among college students and others home for the holiday.

Unfortunately, that trend isn’t isolated to the evening before the holiday. The risks caused by impaired driving have made the long Thanksgiving weekend one of the most dangerous times to be on the road.

Unusually heavy traffic and the effects of holiday revelry and bar crawls are recognized as the biggest culprits behind the increase in drunk driving crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday period. In addition to alcohol, use of illegal drugs, prescription medications and over-the-counter medications can also impair driving.

“More cars on the road mean more risk of cr

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