CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The day before Thanksgiving is a time to catch up with old friends, but law enforcement officials say it is also one of the most dangerous days on the road.
For new bar owners like Amy Winker, owner of the Loose Chain in Cedar Rapids, the day before Thanksgiving, dubbed “Blackout Wednesday,” is a day to make money.
“Every day is important for a new business, but days like this, when you expect it to be busy, it’s huge,” Winker said.
While people are catching up with old friends over a few drinks, the US Department of Transportation says it is a dangerous time to be on the road. From 2017 to 2021, there were 137 deaths on the day before Thanksgiving. 36 of those were in 2021 alone.
“Any number of deaths is way too many,” said Major Chad Colston of the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.
Major Colston said impaired driving is something deputies focus on while patrolling on days like this.
“It’s okay to go out and have a good time, but we ask everybody to be responsible and get a ride home,” Major Colston said. “Use Uber, use some of the car services that are out there.”
The US Department of Transportation says the most dangerous time for fatal crashes is between 6pm on Wednesday and 6am on Thanksgiving morning. 44% of these fatal crashes involve young drivers between the ages of 21 and 24.
“You have to be prepared for other people,” he said. “When I’m driving, I trust one person: that’s me. You don’t know what the other person is going to do.”
That’s something bar owners like Winker are trying to prevent.
“They’re looking for people to have fun, but also how many times someone gets a drink, how fast they drink, if they’re
how fast they drink, if they’re slowing down,” says Winker.