ST. LOUIS — Thanksgiving eve, sometimes referred to as "Blackout Wednesday" or "Drinksgiving," is often a night for drinks and meeting up with old friends. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is also one of the busiest days of the year on the road, with many traveling traveling ahead of the holiday.
In 2022, 100 drivers were involved in fatal crashes on Thanksgiving eve, and 35% of those drivers were drunk, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
If you're planning to take part in "Drinksgiving" festivities, create a plan to get home before going out. NHTSA offered some options for getting home safely:
- Use public transportation, such as MetroBus or MetroLink.
- Have a designated sober driver or have a sober friend pick you up.
- If you're at a friend's place, consider staying over and going home when you're sober.
- Schedule a rideshare in advance or call a taxi.
To help give those who have been drinking in St. Louis a safe option to get home, Breakthru Beverage Missouri and Jim Beam are partnering up this year to offer 500 free rides through the Safe Home After Every Occasion program. From 2 p.m. Wednesday through 2 a.m. Thursday, you can use the redemption code "BBGMOTHANKS2024" to get a free ride home using Lyft. It's good for rides up to $30. The code is only good for the first 500 customers to redeem it, and it can be claimed ahead of your ride starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
While walking or riding a bike or scooter home after drinking or using drugs could seem like safe alternatives to driving, the NHTSA advises against it. About 22% of bicyclists who died in 2022 had been drinking, and 30% of deadly pedestrian crashes that year involved a person who was drunk and walking.