Twas the night before Thanksgiving

And all through the store

Beer and liquor were flying

Right out of the door

Every year, millions of people stock up on beer, wine, and liquor right before Thanksgiving. Turkey Day marks the beginning of the holiday season, and many drinkers, even infrequent ones, like to stock up before the festivities begin. Liquor stores, convenience stores, and any place which sells beer usually mark the day before Thanksgiving as the biggest beer day of the year.

There are a whole boatload of factors that contribute to the Turkey Wednesday festivities. There are football games, family celebrations, resupplying the coffers, and more. Students are home for their breaks, office workers have four days off in a row. It makes a perfect storm for pumping up the beer sales.

Unfortunately, while the holiday season is a boon to the beer market, it can quickly turn into a tragic landscape with people who become victims of drunk drivers. With increased beer comes increased vigilance. Thanksgiving is also the time to get into DUI crashes.

The Pennsylvania DUI Association in Pittsburgh reports that 551 impaired wrecks happened in 2013. This was over twice as many than Christmas and New Year’s combined. When there’s liquor involved, it’s always preventable.

This season should be safe for you, and while this is the biggest time for beer purchases, you don’t need to be part of the growing statistics. If you’ve been drinking, stay off the road – it’s not worth it. The charges that you can incur for DUI can affect your driving record and the rest of your life.