Salt Lake City, UT – Drivers across Utah are being urged to use extreme caution this Blackout Wednesday, as one of the nation’s busiest drinking nights overlaps with early Thanksgiving travel along I-15, I-80, and I-215.
According to Alcohol.org, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving—widely known as Blackout Wednesday or “Drinksgiving”—has become one of America’s heaviest alcohol-consumption nights. In 2022, liquor orders surged 156% over the previous Wednesday, while beer sales rose 85% and cocktail orders climbed 69%. Public-health experts say holiday stress, shortened workweeks and pre-holiday gatherings drive widespread binge drinking.
National traffic-safety data shows motorists are 55% more likely to encounter an impaired driver on Thanksgiving compared to an average day. Between 2017 and 2021, more than 830 people nationwide were killed in drunk-driving crashes during the Thanksgiving travel period…