WASHINGTON, D. C. (Wednesday, November 21, 2018) ––In recent years, drunk driving dangers on the night before Thanksgiving, dubbed “Blackout Wednesday” or “Drinksgiving,” have garnered headlines, mobilized extra officers on DUI saturation patrols, and sparked dire warnings from traffic safety advocates. Now federal officials are warning holiday travelers about the dangers lurking on highways as a result of drug-impaired driving in the time around “Danksgiving.” The terms “Drinksgiving” and “Blackout Wednesday” were coined to describe the heavy alcohol consumption or binge drinking done by college students and others, home for the holiday and reuniting with friends and family at bars, restaurants or in homes. And, now, we have “Danksgiving.” “As quiet as it’s kept,” the buzzword is descriptive of the marijuana-related, cannabis-infused iteration usually held on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Eve is also dubbed “Friendsgiving.” Whatever you call it, the eve of Thanksgiving is a time known for an “increase in alcohol sales” and is fueled by a “small portion of people frequenting restaurants and bars.” Once the provenance of stoners, the slang word “dank” in “Danksgiving” refers to “very potent strains of marijuana.” Those driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana, opioids, or other drugs endanger not only themselves, but also others they share the road with – such as their passengers, other motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. In 2017, the Thanksgiving Day holiday period was the “second deadliest holiday on the roads, trailing only the Fourth of July,” traffic safety advocates warn. AAA Mid-Atlantic wants everyone to safely enjoy the Thanksgiving Day holiday season with their families and friends and not have to deal with a tragedy caused by impaired driving.

“Substance abuse during this holiday has become something of a cultural phenomenon, and is associated with binge drinking,” warns the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

“It has been promoted on social media as ‘Blackout Wednesday,’ ‘Drinksgiving’ or ‘Thanksgiving Eve.’ ‘Danksgiving’ also occurs during the Thanksgiving weekend but is related to marijuana use,” explains NHTSA. The “Danksgiving” menu features “weed butter roasted Turkey,” and entrees include “Ganja gravy,” “pot brownies,” “potatoes with canna-butter,” “cranberry Jell-O shots,” and “pot pumpkin bars.” Danksgiving has been around for a few decades, and NHTSA is warning, “This Thanksgiving, it’s important to remember that drug-impaired driving is just as dangerous as drunk driving.” The agency is launching a campaign called “Ditch Danksgiving.” The federal agency warns, “It’s okay to eat and nap. But never bake and drive.”

“While ‘Blackout Wednesday’ or ‘Drinksgiving’ may be clever ‘buzz’ words, there’s nothing clever about being buzzed or drunk and getting behind the wheel,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs. “With 33 states and the District of Columbia passing laws ‘legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational purposes,’ Danksgiving is the latest rage. Drivers also need to remember that prescription, over-the-counter medications and illegal drugs can impair the ability to drive safely, as well. Combining any of these drugs with alcohol can increase the impairment factor more.”

Nearly 433 persons may be killed and another 49,400 persons may be seriously injured in car crashes during the 2018 Thanksgiving Day holiday period, estimates the National Safety Council (NSC). Alcohol will play an outsized role in holiday deaths and serious injuries on the highways. “Alcohol is a persistent factor in fatal crashes,” the NSC says. “Historical trends show that on average, more than one-third of deaths during the Thanksgiving holiday period involve alcohol-impaired drivers.”

“From 2013 to 2017, more than 800 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday period (6 p.m. Wednesday to 5:59 a.m. Monday),” making it one of the deadliest holiday on our roads, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). To combat the carnage on highways on Thanksgiving eve and the holiday weekend, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and its partners will be running a blitz social media campaign with the theme “Boycott Blackout Wednesday.” Another is “Make It to the Table: Don’t Drink and Drive this Thanksgiving Eve.”

Given this, police DUI saturation patrols will be the order of the Thanksgiving Day holiday period on area roadways. Maryland State Police will increase patrols beginning Wednesday, according to a news release, “focusing enforcement efforts on impaired driving, aggressive driving, speeding, distracted driving and other violations that often contribute to highway tragedies, especially during holiday seasons.” The Maryland State Police’s release also stated, “Last Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 22-26, 2017), troopers made 109 DUI arrests, stopped 9,033 vehicles, issued 1,815 speeding citations and 113 distracted driving citations, and made 34 criminal arrests and 20 drug arrests, while investigating 399 crashes, three of which involved fatalities.”

According to the Virginia State Police, the Thanksgiving Holiday Crash Awareness and Reduction Effort (C.A.R.E.) initiative in 2017 “resulted in troopers citing 611 individuals who failed to obey the law and buckle up, as well as issuing 206 citations for child safety seat violations on Virginia’s highways statewide. In addition, state police cited 8,181 speeders and 2,479 reckless drivers. A total of 105 drunken drivers were taken off Virginia’s roadways and arrested by state troopers. There were 14 traffic fatalities statewide during the five-day statistical counting period (Nov. 22, 2017 – Nov. 26, 2017) for the 2017 Thanksgiving Holiday, marking the highest number of holiday fatalities since 2013.* Less than half of the individuals killed in holiday crashes last year were wearing seat belts. Six of those deaths occurred in alcohol-related crashes.”

Remember, if you come upon an incident where police, firefighters, tow operators or emergency medical service crews are working at the roadside, abide by “Move Over” laws by making sure to move over one lane or slow down so that the first responders will make it home too. AAA is reminding anyone headed out Wednesday night or throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend that:

• Buzzed driving is drunk driving. Don’t risk it.
• Make a plan ahead of time to have a sober, designated driver.
• If you don’t have a designated driver, call a friend or family member, taxi or car share service such as Uber or Lyft to get you home safely.
• Never let family or friends drive if they have had too much alcohol to drink.
• If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact law enforcement.

By the numbers, “beer sales increased 270 percent and liquor sales increased by 114 percent on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving,” according to a study conduct by Upserve. “Additionally, growler sales increased by a staggering 658%, while food orders only increased by 28%, suggesting that ‘Blackout’ Wednesday is living up to its name,” explains Sobering Up. “Despite this massive growth, there was only an 18 percent increase in the number of checks –meaning that a small portion of people are driving a lot of alcohol sales,” explains Upserve. “It is never okay to get behind the wheel of a vehicle when you are buzzed or drunk,” Townsend reiterated. “The risk of injury or death is not worth it when there are safer ways home.”

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