This Thanksgiving holiday, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is teaming up with the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office to make sure you make it to the Thanksgiving table. With the Thanksgiving holiday kicking off a very merry time of year, it’s essential to take some time to remember that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. If your plans to celebrate include alcohol, plan for a sober driver.

Drunk-driving-related crashes spike during the Thanksgiving holiday season. According to NHTSA, 185 people were killed during the 2020 Thanksgiving period (6 p.m. Wednesday, November 25 through 5:59 a.m. Monday, November 30). Tragically, from 2016-2020, 821 people died in alcohol-impaired crashes during the entire Thanksgiving holiday period (6 p.m. the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through 5:59 a.m. the Monday after Thanksgiving). During this same period, males were more likely than females to be killed in an alcohol-impaired crash, with males accounting for more than one-quarter of fatalities.

We understand that Thanksgiving brings together friends and family and that everyone is excited to reunite. Unfortunately, drunk driving is a real threat to our community and during the holidays that threat increases. Drunk driving has deadly consequences.

According to NHTSA, 11,654 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2020 that involved an alcohol-impaired driver. On average, more than 10,000 people were killed each year from 2016 to 2020, and one person was killed in a drunk-driving crash every 45 minutes in 2020. This is why the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office is working together with NHTSA to remind drivers that drunk driving is not only illegal, it is a matter of life and death. As you head out to festivities during this Thanksgiving holiday, remember: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.

We would like to remind everyone that there are several alternatives to driving under the influence. Please designate a driver or utilize taxi’s and ride share programs in the area to assure that everyone has a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.