Make it to the Thanksgiving Table:

                                             Replace “Drinksgiving” with Mocktails on Deadliest Holiday Weekend

Video suitable for b-roll of AAA’s Mocktail Mixoff: http://myaccount.dro.com/file/031a24f6c8ccb39b

November 19, 2018 - Thanksgiving has become one of the deadliest times of the year on America’s roads, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. According to AAA, a major factor is “Thanksgiving Eve” partying.

From 2012 to 2016, more than 800 people died nationwide in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday period (6 p.m. Wednesday to 5:59 a.m. Monday), making it the deadliest holiday on our roads, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). During a similar five-year period, 45 people lost their lives on Oklahoma roads, according to the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office. It reports, some 30% of all fatal crashes in the state are alcohol-related. That jumps to 35% during the holidays.

“Whether it’s young people home from college or adults who know they have the next day off from work, there has been a rise in drunk driving deaths around the holiday,” Leslie Gamble, AAA Oklahoma spokesperson, said. “The Wednesday before the holiday, labeled ‘Drinksgiving’ by some, has become one of the year’s biggest drinking days.”

Make it to the Thanksgiving table (and through holiday party season) by taking these approaches:

• Host a mocktail party or friendly contest. Have guests bring their own drink creations sans alcohol and select judges to taste test and score. AAA recently hosted a Mocktail Mixoff with nine bartenders entering their most creative recipes for a chance to win $2,500 in cash prizes. Winning recipes are posted at AAA.com/mocktail for those who want to prepare a championship drink.

• If you’re hosting a holiday party and not inspired to ask guests to bring mocktails, AAA urges you to be sure to “be good for goodness sake” and have festive non-alcoholic drink options available for your guests and those serving as designated drivers.

• Get sober before getting behind the wheel. Only TIME works – not coffee or cold showers. It takes about 1 hour to burn off an average drink. Five ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1 ½ ounces of liquor all contain about the same amount of alcohol.

• Call a ride-share service or cab for a friend or yourself if even minor alcohol impairment is evident. Also consider downloading NHTSA’s free SaferRide mobile app. It allows users to call a taxi or a predetermined friend, and identifies the user’s location so the user can be picked up.

“With so many options to driving after drinking, it doesn’t make sense to take that chance – especially in the season of gratitude and joy,” said Gamble. “Choose a designated driver or call a ride-share service like Lyft or Uber.”

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