Thanksgiving is around the corner and so is the time for family, friends and gathering. This is also a good opportunity to boost traffic safety communication efforts. Use this themed material to encourage people to not get behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol or drugs and to remind drivers and passengers to buckle up. The Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving Thanksgiving Impaired Driving Campaign will take place nationwide from November 24 to November 30, 2025.

Unfortunately, drunk driving has left a tragic imprint on thousands of families during the Thanksgiving season. According to NHTSA, 174 people died in drunk-driving crashes, in which one or more drivers had a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher, during the 2023 Thanksgiving holiday (6 p.m. Wednesday – 5:59 a.m. Monday). Drivers ages 21-34 (37%) had the highest rate of involvement in fatal drunk-driving crashes on Thanksgiving 2023. From 2019-2023, the death toll in drunk-driving crashes during Thanksgiving festivities was 868, representing more than one-third (35%) of all fatalities in traffic crashes for that period.    

To help everyone stay safe on U.S. roads this holiday, remind the public to take the following precautions:

• Travel at a safe speed. Speed affects your safety even when you are driving at the speed limit but too fast for road conditions, such as during bad weather, when a road is under repair, or in an area at night that isn’t well lit. For more than two decades, speeding has been involved in approximately one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities.
• Don’t drive distracted. Pay attention to the road. Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for at least 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. Teens are the largest age group reported as distracted at the time of fatal crashes.
• Wear a seat belt and wear it properly. The simple act of buckling your seat belt increases your chance of surviving a crash.
• Make sure children are buckled in the right seats for their ages and sizes. Since 1975, 11,606 children ages 4 and under have been saved by child restraints.
• Drive Sober. Designate a sober driver if you plan to drink. Impaired driving deaths are 100-percent preventable.