Thanksgiving Drunk Driving
Prevention Resource Center
A Time for Gratitude
Thanksgiving is a time to enjoy a moment of gratitude with our dearest loved ones. Along with watching football games, spending time outdoors, and enjoying amazing food, alcohol may also take center stage during the holiday. Combined with the tens of millions of people who plan to hit the roads during the long weekend, Thanksgiving is one of the deadliest times to drive.
- 48.5 million travelers were on the roads during the Thanksgiving weekend in 2021 (AAA)
- From 2016 – 2020, there were 138 drivers involved in fatal alcohol-involved crashes on “Blackout Wednesday” (NHTSA)
- 184 people died in alcohol-involved crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday period in 2022
- Over 830 people died in alcohol-related crashes during the 2018-2022 Thanksgiving holiday period (NHTSA)
- During the 2021 Thanksgiving holiday period, there were over 4x as many drivers involved in alcohol-related crashes at night than during the day (NHTSA)
Explore our Thanksgiving Drunk Driving Resource Center to see how you can use our social media graphics and tips to help raise awareness of the dangers of Thanksgiving drunk driving. This year, a safe Thanksgiving gathering is something we can all be grateful for.
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Squash Thanksgiving Stressors
SCRAM CAM + Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is not all turkey and pie. For many, the Thanksgiving holiday is a cornucopia of stress and other triggers that can lead to excessive drinking. With the holiday fast approaching, stressors like preparing large feasts, figuring out how to celebrate safely, and managing emotions about spending time with friends and family may trigger alcohol clients to drink to cope with all the pressure.
SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring programs are helping “squash” the drinking triggers that Thanksgiving can bring. In fact, over 90% of high-risk drunk drivers supervised with SCRAM CAM said that their monitoring helped them stay sober during the holidays because:
- It kept them accountable and compliant—they know if they drink, they will get caught
- It acts as a constant reminder to abstain from alcohol
- It provides a clear reason to resist peer pressure to drink
- It prevents drinking around random testing schedules
Learn more about how SCRAM Continuous Alcohol Monitoring is driving compliance, accountability, and assessment in drunk and impaired driving programs across the country.