GREENSBORO, N.C. — The night before Thanksgiving has picked up a new—and increasingly dangerous—identity. Many people now call it “Drinksgiving” or “Blackout Wednesday,” a trend AAA says has quietly grown into one of the busiest drinking nights of the year.

With more people returning home for the holiday, meeting up with friends, and heading to local bars, AAA officials say drinking often starts earlier in the day and continues late into the night. That combination, they warn, leads to more impaired drivers on the roads.

“You can liken this to a St. Patrick’s Day where people are a lot more casual with their drinking,” said Tiffany Wright, spokesperson for AAA. “College students are home… it leads to an all-day drink fest. And obviously, we have more impaired drivers behind the wheel.”

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