When you think of the biggest bar night of the year, do you first thing of New Year's Eve, a night famous for its wild parties? When you think of Thanksgiving, do you think of a lazy afternoon with the family, watching football, taking naps, and eating way too much turkey?
These are certainly the cliches, but the night before Thanksgiving is actually the biggest bar night of the year. Many bar owners say it's bigger than New Year's Eve. Why is this?
According to many reports, Thanksgiving is so big because college students -- and others close to this age bracket -- are home for the holidays. They haven't seen their own friends, the crowd from high school, in months. No one has to work the next day since it's a holiday, so everyone wants to get together and go out.
In fact, young people may even be more likely to go out with their friends because Thanksgiving is such a family holiday. The night before may be their one chance to party before settling in for a more subdued day on the holiday itself.
Now, as you may expect, drunk driving arrests, accidents, and fatalities also climb on this night. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration keeps stats on alcohol-related accidents, and fatal accidents are generally higher on the day before Thanksgiving than they are on New Year's.
If you go out with the old gang this year, have a little too much to drink, and find yourself facing DUI charges in Tennessee, make sure you know what legal options you have. The police will be out in force, so you must know your rights.
Source: The Wall Street Journal, "Home for the Holiday, Time to Party," Molly Baker, accessed Nov. 10, 2016