As the long Thanksgiving weekend approaches, law enforcement will be out in force on Connecticut roads on patrol and at checkpoints in an effort to apprehend drunk drivers before they can hurt themselves or anyone else. This holiday has more drunk driving arrests and accidents than just about time of the year.
In fact, the day before Thanksgiving has the ominous nickname "Black Wednesday." Many bar and restaurant owners say that Black Wednesday is the biggest drinking night of the entire year. There are several key reasons for that:
-- People who are home from college or just back in their hometown to visit family often go out the night before the holiday with old friends to visit and catch up on each other's lives.-- Most people have Thanksgiving off, so they can stay out later than usual. Since many workplaces take off early on Wednesday, that gives folks who don't have to go home a chance to start their happy hour early.
-- Often people choose to go out to a restaurant the night before Thanksgiving because they don't want to cook dinner that night when they're going to be spending the next day in the kitchen.
If you're going to be imbibing on Thanksgiving Eve, leave your car at home or at the office. Ubers will likely be readily available. If you realize you've had more than you intended after you've driven to the bar, leave your car there and call a a ride sharing service, a family member or friend. It may be a pain in the neck to go back and get it the next day, but it's a lot preferable to spending the night before Thanksgiving in jail -- or the hospital.
Source: Drink Philly, "4 Reasons Why Thanksgiving Eve is Biggest Drinking Night of the Year," accessed Nov. 16, 2016