Although the Minnesota State Patrol has yet to officially announce the enforcement, if this year is anything like years past, more than 300 agencies will be providing extra DUI enforcement beginning the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and running through the holiday weekend.
The Thanksgiving weekend is always one of the busiest and most dangerous stretches on the roads, for a number of reasons. For starters, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving has historically been one of if not the most dangerous days on the roads in terms of DUIs per hour. Many people are back home for the holiday, and with little on the schedule for Thursday outside of eating and catching up with family, many people celebrate with alcohol. The problem becomes when you get behind the wheel afterwards. Cops know that this is one of the most common nights of the year for drinking and driving, so you aren’t going to be able to fool them.
Another reason why this stretch can be dangerous is because of the extra traffic on the road. More than 50 million people are expected to travel more than 50 miles this Thanksgiving, and with all those extra cars on the road, all it takes is one distraction or one deer crossing the highway for chaos to ensure. Finally, you also have to consider the weather. Many Minnesotans are still used to their summer driving speeds, but if winter weather makes road conditions a mess, you can expect to see plenty of cars in the ditch. All these factors make this upcoming weekend one of the most dangerous on the roads.
Extra DUI Enforcement
If you’re going to drink alcohol this holiday, make sure you make some smart decisions and don’t get behind the wheel. Even when we give these yearly warnings, Thanksgiving is always one of the busiest stretches in our year because we understand how important it is to get people out of jail so they can be home with their families on Thanksgiving. Nobody wants to be stuck in a holding cell for the holiday, and we’ll work hard to get you released. We answer our phones 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so if you run into trouble, be sure to give us a call at (952) 224-2277.
Aside from the extra DUI patrols, police will be looking for three other violations that can also be deadly. Police will be looking for speeders, distracted drivers and unbuckled occupants throughout the five-day holiday stretch. Those three factors and alcohol make up the four fatal driving factors, so avoid them at all costs this weekend and whenever you’re behind the wheel.
So no matter how you plan on celebrating the holiday this week, make sure that you are aware that the cops will be working extra enforcement and looking for lawbreakers. Don’t make a mistake that everyone will be talking about at the Thanksgiving table, and if you do end up in trouble, call Appelman Law Firm at (952) 224-2277 and we’ll try our best to have you out of jail before the turkey is out of the oven.
