Los Angeles, CA – Drivers across California are being urged to use extreme caution this Blackout Wednesday, as one of the nation’s busiest drinking nights collides with major holiday travel along key corridors including I-5, I-405, US-101, and I-80.
According to Alcohol.org, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving—better known as Blackout Wednesday or “Drinksgiving”—has become one of America’s highest alcohol-consumption nights. In 2022, liquor orders jumped 156% from the week prior, while beer sales climbed 85% and cocktail orders rose 69%. Public-health experts say holiday stress, long weekends and pre-feast gatherings fuel widespread binge drinking.
National traffic-safety data shows drivers are 55% more likely to encounter an impaired motorist on Thanksgiving compared to an average day. From 2017 to 2021, more than 830 people nationwide were killed in drunk-driving crashes during the Thanksgiving travel window.
The California Highway Patrol (CHP), along with agencies in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and Oakland, are expanding DUI patrols Wednesday night. Troopers warn that I-5, I-405, US-101, I-80, and nightlife districts such as Hollywood, Downtown LA, San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, San Francisco’s Mission District and college areas near UCLA, USC, UCSD and UC Berkeley often see elevated impairment-related incidents as students return home and bar crowds surge.
Nationwide trends reinforce the concern. Cities like Indianapolis and Minneapolis report Blackout Wednesday can surpass New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day for DUI arrests—an emerging pattern California officials say applies statewide, especially with dense metro nightlife, massive freeway systems and early holiday departures.
Drivers are urged to avoid late-night travel, plan sober transportation and immediately report suspected impaired motorists.
