INDIANAPOLIS — The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is known to some as "Blackout Wednesday."
"There are holidays for everything, names for almost every day," Sgt. John Perrine with Indiana State Police (ISP) said.
And Blackout Wednesday is growing in popularity — an unofficial holiday tradition promoting binge drinking before Thanksgiving dinner.
"The day before Thanksgiving is an enhanced day for traffic crashes, drunk driving, arrests, and traffic violations. That's nothing new for us," Perrine said.
ISP said statistically, Thanksgiving is the time of the year with the most drunk drivers.
"First responders across the state aren't taking the day off. They're not taking the holiday. We don't get to necessarily attend those family gatherings. We're out and about so that we can make sure that you can safely attend your family gatherings," Perrine said.
DUI season is in full force, and ISP is beefing up patrols.
"Not only to be reactive to the increased call volume but to be proactive, to try to intercept the people driving aggressively and recklessly, intercept those drunk drivers who could potentially take somebody's life," Perrine said.
"December 10, 2018, my son was killed by a drunk driver," Yolanda Coriano, Victim Service Specialist for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Indiana, said.
Coriano got involved with MADD, turning her pain into passion in hopes of saving lives.
"We're not against people to drink alcohol," Coriano said. "However, have a plan and prepare."
On Sunday, December 1, the NFL, along with Uber, will be joining MADD in its "Take a Minute, Plan Ahead" campaign effort.
"Having that written and posted out on bathroom walls at different establishments. Just take a minute to think about your plan. Have a driver that's with you that is not drinking. Plan for that Uber, that Lyft, or somebody to call," Coriano said.
"The simplest way that I can put it is, please don't be the reason for an empty chair at somebody's Thanksgiving table tomorrow. Make smart choices. Drive safely. If you're going to consume alcohol, absolutely under no circumstance should you get behind the wheel of a car," Perrine said.
Nationally, every minute, 37 people are affected by drunk driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A heartbreaking statistic Coriano said doesn't have to be your reality if everyone does their part and drinks responsibly.
