Eat, drink, and be careful. Holiday drinking and driving
The night before Thanksgiving is a busy one for local bars.
-->
By: Christian Henson
Updated: November 21, 2012
Nick's Sports Grill and Lounge owner Nick Muscari said he was expecting a big crowd.
"Yeah we plan on a lot of people coming out. It's usually a little bit busier time. People that grew up in Lubbock and moved on come back, see there family, that kind of thing. Usually meet up with some friends and come hang out."
Meeting up with old friends at the bar can be fun but it can also be dangerous with more drivers hitting the road while impaired. John Stewart of the Lubbock Police Department said holidays can lead to more traffic incidents.
"Of course there is the potential for more DWI's there is the potential for more traffic accidents, that type of thing."
According to the National Highway Safety administration high risk drunk drivers who are monitored for drinking show a 54% increase in drunk driving violations, second only to New Years Eve. And before the holiday is even over people are back at the bar.
"We open at 6 o'clock Thanksgiving night, and usually people get a little tired of hanging out with their family come out and celebrate with a few friends. So it's usually a pretty busy night."
Lubbock area businesses are happy to have more customers but urge them to be responsible. Lubbock Police will be monitoring the roads closely.
"Normally we just stay with our normal staffing. However, we do have officers out who are looking for DWI's, who are working traffic and officers who are specifically assigned those roles."
