Yes, Thanksgiving is officially a drinking holiday in Texas

Crash data from the Texas Department of Transportation shows that drunk driving crashes increase by 38% over Thanksgiving.

Four years ago we launched our No DWI Free Holiday Rides program. The program was meant to reduce drunk driving over common “drinking holidays” by encouraging folks to make the right choice and take a cab, Uber, or Lyft to a safe destination if they’ve been drinking.

Originally, the program covered holidays like Cinco de Mayo, St. Patricks Day, Labor Day, and New Years Eve, as we thought that these holidays were the primary “drinking” ones.

This year we are adding Thanksgiving to the list of holidays that our program covers. Why? Because crash data from TxDOT shows that Thanksgiving is, in fact, a drinking holiday.

Breaking down the data further:

• +38.14% – Increase in alcohol-involved crashes over Thanksgiving vs. control period
• +19.17% – Increase in injuries caused by alcohol-involved crashes over Thanksgiving vs. control period
• +41.50% – Increase in deaths caused by alcohol-involved crashes over Thanksgiving vs. control period

Methodology

We used the Texas Department of Transportation definition of alcohol involved crashes, which is a crash where any person reported with a contributing factor of Under the Influence of Alcohol, or Had Been Drinking, or test results with a blood alcohol content of greater than 0.

Using TxDOT CRIS Query System, we gathered crash data from the past five years (2014–2018) for Alcohol Involved Crashes during Thanksgiving.

For each year we gathered three days of data: The day before Thanksgiving, the day of Thanksgiving, and the day after Thanksgiving. We then gathered the same data for the same three day period, but for the week before Thanksgiving. This data serves as the control.

Be a Part of the Solution This Thanksgiving

There is simply no excuse for getting behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking. This Thanksgiving, take a sober ride home and we will reimburse you. Our program covers rides taken in Houston, Austin, San Angelo, Odessa/Midland (NEW) and the Highland Lakes area.

For complete details on our No DWI Free Holiday Rides program, click here.

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Hank Stout

Attorney at Sutliff & Stout

Hank Stout co-founded the Sutliff & Stout Injury & Accident Law Firm with a simple goal. Help real people with real problems. From his roots in small-town West Texas, Hank was taught the value of community, hard work, determination, and fairness from a young age. He continues that legacy through his professional life, representing diverse clients across the Lone Star state.

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