[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/winter-holiday-period-raises-probability-drunk-driving-car-accidents\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/winter-holiday-period-raises-probability-drunk-driving-car-accidents\/","headline":"Winter Holiday Period Raises Probability of Drunk Driving Car Accidents","name":"Winter Holiday Period Raises Probability of Drunk Driving Car Accidents","description":"With the holiday season upon us, it is a good time to remember that the winter holidays can be a dangerous time on the road as the potential for\u00a0drunk driving car accidents\u00a0increases. Summer holidays (Independence Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day) are actually more dangerous in terms of fatal accidents...","datePublished":"2014-12-18","dateModified":"2025-09-02","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/author\/phoenixlawteam\/#Person","name":"Mushkatel, Gobbato, & Kile, P.L.L.C.","url":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/author\/phoenixlawteam\/","identifier":8,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1e4dc39d74dcc876245d4603866817c2b3e4a9be1d45c3ef67992bd821d77cbb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1e4dc39d74dcc876245d4603866817c2b3e4a9be1d45c3ef67992bd821d77cbb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Mushkatel, Gobbato, & Kile","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Mushkatel-robbins-becker-pllc-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Mushkatel-robbins-becker-pllc-logo.png","width":459,"height":157}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/drunk-driver.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/drunk-driver.jpg","height":200,"width":300},"url":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/winter-holiday-period-raises-probability-drunk-driving-car-accidents\/","about":["DUI"],"wordCount":424,"keywords":["car accident","drunk driving","DUI","winter driving"],"articleBody":"With the holiday season upon us, it is a good time to remember that the winter holidays can be a dangerous time on the road as the potential for\u00a0drunk driving car accidents\u00a0increases.Summer holidays (Independence Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day) are actually more dangerous in terms of fatal accidents overall, the National Safety Council\u00a0says, but alcohol plays a bigger factor in winter holidays.What Are Some Drunk Driving Accident Statistics?The four-day Thanksgiving holiday period sees the most\u00a0overall fatal car crashes, with an average of 416 each year, but New Year\u2019s has the highest percentage of alcohol-impaired traffic deaths, at 43 percent, the NSC says.The averages for each winter holiday are:Thanksgiving Day \u2013 104 traffic deaths, 37 involving alcohol-impaired drivers.Christmas Day \u00ad\u00ad\u2013 88 traffic accident deaths, 30 involving alcohol-impairment.New Year\u2019s Day \u2013 106 traffic accident deaths, 45 involving alcohol-impairment.In Arizona last year, according to the\u00a0Arizona Department of Transportation, winter holiday car accidents included:Thanksgiving (five days) \u2013 10 fatal crashes and 13 deaths, 3 alcohol-related.Christmas (two days) \u2013 1 fatal crash and 1 death, no alcohol involvement.New Year\u2019s (five days) \u2013 3 fatal crashes and 4 deaths, 1 alcohol-related crash and 2 alcohol-related fatalities.In Arizona, except for Thanksgiving, more fatal car crashes occurred during summer holidays in 2013:Memorial Day \u2013 9 fatal crashesJuly 4th\u00a0\u2013 15 fatal crashesLabor Day \u2013 8 fatal crashes.(Arizona holiday fatality statistics are based on fatal crashes occurring from 6 p.m. on the last working day prior to the holiday through 5:59 a.m. the day following the holiday period. Example: Thanksgiving fatalities are counted from 6 p.m. Wednesday evening through 5:59 a.m. the following Monday.)Unfortunately, nearly 4,400 people were arrested on suspicion of DUI between Thanksgiving and New Year\u2019s Eve in 2013, according to the\u00a0Arizona Republic\u00a0and the Arizona Governor\u2019s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS).The Governor\u2019s DUI Task Force initiates several\u00a0DUI crackdowns\u00a0each year between Thanksgiving and New Year\u2019s Day. In 2013, they involved 2,247 law enforcement officers.For the 2013 holidays, the GOHS reported:4,371 arrests1,098 arrests on suspicion of extreme DUI (blood alcohol content higher than .15)450 on suspicion of aggravated DUI934 DUI drug arrestsThe average blood-alcohol content of those arrested was 0.15 percent. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.From Jan. 1, 2012, through Jan. 1, 2013, officers working on the task forces arrested 27,710 individuals on suspicion of DUI, according to the report. This means the winter holiday arrests accounted for 15.8 percent of DUI arrests for the entire year.Sources:Safety & Health Magazine:\u00a0Infographic: Alcohol-impaired holiday traffic fatalitiesArizona Dept. of Transportation:\u00a0Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts 2013Arizona Republic:\u00a0More than 4,000 Arizona drivers arrested by holiday DUI task force"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Winter Holiday Period Raises Probability of Drunk Driving Car Accidents","item":"https:\/\/www.phoenixlawteam.com\/blog\/winter-holiday-period-raises-probability-drunk-driving-car-accidents\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]