For many people, spending time with friends and family during the holidays means sharing a few cocktails, beers, or a couple of glasses of wine. And while there is certainly nothing wrong with that, getting behind the wheel of a car after doing so is never a good idea. Unfortunately, many people choose to do just that, nearly doubling drunk driving injuries and fatalities at the holiday season. The following are some other startling facts about drinking, driving, and car accidents at the holidays.

Holiday drinking in earnest, officially begins on Thanksgiving Eve. Law enforcement officials have dubbed it Blackout Wednesday. In some places, Blackout Wednesday is a bigger drinking day than New Year’s Eve or St. Patrick’s Day. This is especially true with college students and in larger urban areas. In fact, in some areas, Blackout Wednesday has become one of the chief drunk driving nights of the year.

This is especially concerning because so many families will travel by car to visit loved ones during the holiday season. In fact, over 38 million Americans will travel by car for Thanksgiving, and an additional 90 million Americans will take a road trip sometime between Christmas and New Year’s.

In the span of time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, two to three times more people than average will die in accidents caused by alcohol- approximately 1,200 people. An additional 25,000 people will be injured in alcohol-related traffic accidents.

During the rest of the year, thirty-one percent of highway deaths are attributed to alcohol. During the holiday season, that number increases dramatically:

• At Thanksgiving- 40%
• At Christmas- 37%
• At New Years- 58%

Further Reading: Job Hunting After a Felony Conviction

Not everyone consumes alcohol during the holidays, or at any other time of the year, for that matter. However, some Holiday drinking trends have been discovered:

• People surveyed who use the holidays as an excuse to drink, or say their friends and family do- 40%
• People surveyed who have witnessed someone driving under the influence- 57%
• People surveyed who think alcohol makes a party more enjoyable- 60%
• People surveyed who have gone to work, or know someone who has gone to work, hungover from a holiday party- 96%

Due to the increase in car accidents that occurs during the holiday season, law enforcement officers are cracking down on anyone they suspect is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. You could find yourself arrested for suspicion of DUI – even before you submit to a BAC test.

Contact Our Boulder DUI Defense Lawyers

This season, if you get charged with New Year’s DUI in Boulder or anywhere in the State of Colorado this holiday season, we can help. Don’t start 2016 off with a DUI – there are ways we can protect your driving record and even help you retain your license. Contact the Boulder criminal defense lawyers at Steven Louth Law Offices today for a free consultation and review of your case. Call us at (303) 422-2297 to start building a solid defense against these serious criminal charges.