With the holidays right around the corner, many people are gearing up for a fun season of traveling, yuletide cheer, and get-togethers with friends and family. Unfortunately, this time of year is typically marred by a spike in arrests for driving under the influence (DUI). In fact, many annual holidays and holiday weekends are subject to this phenomenon, causing law enforcement to ramp up their presence to compensate for increased numbers of intoxicated drivers.

Below are the top 5 US holidays resulting in the highest annual DUI arrests:

1. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s: Data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicates that 2 to 3 more people die in alcohol-related crashes between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. For this reason, most states begin their DUI crackdown efforts around Thanksgiving and maintain them until New Year’s Day. Since many companies and families host holiday parties in between the actual holidays themselves, many arrests occur on the weekends in between these holidays.
2. The Fourth of July: July 4^th and New Year’s Eve are usually neck-and-neck in terms of both DUI arrests and traffic fatalities. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), from 2000 to 2009, the Fourth of July was the deadliest U.S. holiday in regards to DUI.
3. St. Patrick’s Day: Regardless of which day of the week St. Patty’s Day falls on each year, green beer, parties, and DUIs are a certainty. The NHTSA reports that more than 700 people were killed nationwide in St. Patrick’s Day drunk-driving collisions from 2006 to 2010, with countless more DUI arrests being made each year.
4. Memorial Day Weekend: As the unofficial kick-off of the summer, grills and coolers full of beer are a staple in many households during Memorial Day Weekend – with many over-indulging. DUI checkpoints are usually set up in several key areas during this time, along with increased saturation patrols.
5. Halloween: Spooky haunted houses, ghouls, and goblins are not the scariest part of Halloween – drunk drivers are. Costumed drunk-driving mugshots are common every year on Halloween, with NHTSA reports estimating that nearly half of all fatal Halloween car accidents involving a drunk driver.

Fight Your Holiday DUI Charge – Call (816) 607-8860

If a DUI arrest should ruin your holiday festivities, contact Steve Schanker, Attorney at Law today. Having been fighting to protect the rights of accused drivers throughout Kansas and Missouri for more than 20 years, Attorney Schanker can provide the skilled and passionate advocacy you need to protect your rights and freedom.

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