6 Tips For Driving On Blackout Wednesday And Thanksgiving Weekend In General
Forget Black Friday -- far more dangerous to the average American these days is the growing cultural phenomenon of "Blackout Wednesday," or "Drunksgiving," which has rapidly spread roots out from almost every major city to small cities and towns all over the country. '
It's the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, and it is now officially one of American's drunkest nights of the year. That also makes it one of the most deadly times of the year to be on the road -- death rates are 50% higher than any other time of the year. If you're traveling this Thanksgiving weekend, this is what you should keep in mind regarding your safety:
1. A lot of binge drinkers over-indulge on Blackout Wednesday. Binge drinkers typically have a hard time knowing their limits and may be more likely to be unprepared to get a ride home from the bar because they've convinced themselves that they can handle a few drinks and still be sober enough to drive.
2. The statistics show that car accidents involving drunk drivers skyrocket on Blackout Wednesday and during Thanksgiving weekend in general. Keep in mind -- even if someone isn't driving drunk on Drunksgiving, they may be too hungover to be safely driving on Thanksgiving the next day.
3. You need to take extra precautions to be safer on the road. Avoid traveling between 2 AM and 3 AM -- right after the bars close for the night -- to let people who have hung in there until the last possible moment (and last call) time to get off the road. If you're starting out early for a relative's house for the holidays, it's simply safer to wait until closer to daybreak.
4. Stay off the back roads. You've heard the old song that sings about "over the hills and through the woods" to get to grandmother's house for the holidays? Well, a lot of inebriated drivers take those same roads home, hoping that they'll avoid the scrutiny of any police officers that might be around.
5. Look for anyone on the road that might be impaired. Remember that "weaving all over the road" is just one possible sign of intoxicated drivers. Other drunk drivers will drive straight but very slowly -- which means you need to use caution when approaching them and even more if you decide to pass them. Give any driver you suspect may be drunk or hungover a wide berth and don't tailgate. Their reaction times may be slow.
6. Watch for drivers who are nodding off while driving, whether it's late on Wednesday night or early Thanksgiving morning. Both drinking and hangovers lead to sleepiness -- which can be just as deadly on the road.
If you do everything right and an accident still happens, make sure that you call the police -- don't let the other driver talk you into just exchanging insurance information. If you suspect the other driver of being drunk or hungover, quietly mention it to the officer who responds to the scene so that he or she can check the situation out. You don't want an unsafe driver put back on the road if he or she has already caused one accident!
If you're hurt in the accident, make certain that you talk to a law office like Bangel, Bangel, & Bangel who has experience with auto accident claims as soon as practical.
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