HOUSTON – The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, known nationally as “Blackout Wednesday,” has earned a grim reputation as the drunkest day of the year on roads around the country.
As millions take to Texas highways this week for Thanksgiving travel, there’s a strong focus on picking out drunk drivers who don’t make sober plans to travel this holiday season.
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Blackout Wednesday (yes, it’s a real thing) has become a cultural reunion night, particularly among young adults reconnecting with former classmates, coworkers and friends at bars.
For our police officers, it’s become a night of drunk driving and the heavy duty of notifying families that their loved ones were hurt or killed in a drunk driving accident.
National crash data support the concern. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 2023, 92 drivers were involved in fatal crashes on Thanksgiving Eve nationwide. About 33% of those drivers were impaired by alcohol.
NHTSA defines the Thanksgiving holiday reporting period as 6 p.m. Wednesday to 5:59 a.m. Monday.
The agency attributes the elevated risk to patterns of increased alcohol consumption before and during the holiday travel weekend.
Alcohol is not the only driver impairment concern. Authorities also warn that THC, the psychoactive chemical in cannabis, can slow reaction time, impair lane tracking and reduce motor coordination, increasing the likelihood of a crash.
The National Safety Council, which tracks injury and fatality statistics through InjuryFacts, has similarly emphasized the dangers of Thanksgiving travel periods. NSC data show that alcohol impaired drivers were involved in roughly 35 percent of all U.S. Thanksgiving-period roadway fatalities.
In 2023, 309 people in the United States were killed in crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Roughly 44% of those deaths involved drivers or passengers who were not wearing seat belts, according to NHTSA.
Buckling up, safety experts say, remains one of the most effective tools for preventing severe injury or death in a traffic crash.
In Texas, state authorities are deploying additional patrols through the holiday week.
Texas Department of Public Safety leaders said Texas Highway Patrol troopers will increase enforcement from Wednesday, Nov. 26, through Sunday, Nov. 30. Enforcement priorities include DWI, speeding, seat belt violations and other dangerous driving behaviors on highways across the state, including the Greater Houston region.
DPS Director Bryan Rippee urged Texans to slow down, follow the law, and stay focused while traveling.
Local agencies are amplifying the same message.
The Harris County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office said its Mobility Traffic Task Force will be active during peak travel hours Wednesday through Sunday.
Precinct 4 deputies will conduct seat belt checks, monitor for reckless driving, enforce DWI laws.
Holiday safety messaging across Texas includes both behavioral advice and enforcement awareness. T
he Texas Department of Transportation promotes the statewide campaign slogan Drive Sober. No Regrets., a long-running traffic safety initiative that targets impaired driving during major Texas travel periods.
As families pack luggage, type in their family’s address and hit the highway, police hope they’ll make it there safely and make the right decision if they decide to drink. Keep the ride sober. Keep the seat belt clicked. Keep judgment sharp.