Drinking reportedly increases as family, friends get together
Updated: 1:07 PM EST Nov 23, 2016
By Andrew Setters
CINCINNATI Everyone knows the day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday, but the night before Thanksgiving has picked up its own nickname -- Blackout Wednesday.
Advertisement Its one of the busiest nights of the year at bars as people celebrate the holiday early.
It also kicks off one of the most dangerous weekends of the year for drivers.
Nationally, 50 more people will die in Thanksgiving week crashes than any other time of year, said Cheryl Parker, with AAA Cincinnati.
Thanksgiving weekend is a popular time for people to get together with friends, especially college students, who may be celebrating one of their first breaks of the school year by returning home.
We see a lot of college students that come home, a lot of people who are celebrating the long weekend, and a lot of those celebrations involve alcohol, Parker said.
The increase in traffic as people travel for the holiday, combined with the increase in drunken or drugged driving, means there are usually more deadly crashes. According to AAA, nine people were killed and another 1,400 injured in Thanksgiving week auto accidents in Ohio.
Nothing is more heartbreaking than to find out that one of your loved ones will not make it home because of a decision that didnt have to happen, Parker said.
She urged people to plan to have a designated driver or take a cab home.
Even if someone avoids tragedy, they might not avoid trouble with the law. Expect to see police out on the roads looking for people whove had too much to drink.