Although Thanksgiving weekend is thought of as a special family time, it is statistically the most dangerous holiday weekend due to the high volume of people on the road and 4-day-length of overindulgence that always begins on a Thursday. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s report on motor vehicle deaths, Thanksgiving weekend is number one and July 4th weekend is number two as the most dangerous holidays for drivers. The other long weekends of Memorial Day and Labor Day come in fourth and fifth most dangerous. New Years is number six because it often does not not fall on a weekend or near the weekend.
Most people don’t realize that for the average person, each drink adds 0.02% to the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) per hour and in that hour only about 0.01% is removed by the body’s metabolic processing. This is why blood alcohol concentrations build steadily throughout a long day of holiday celebration causing levels to often rise beyond the legal driving limit (0.08% BAC in Michigan). Be aware that you cannot speed your body’s processing of alcohol with coffee or other urban-myth-remedies.
Be a safe driver and do all you can to prevent a serious auto accident or death related to drunk driving!