SEATTLE – Bars and law enforcement are preparing for the extra people looking to drink on Blackout Wednesday.

For the most part, everyone is off for Thanksgiving and back home with family for the holiday. That leaves Wednesday wide open for celebrating.

“It’s widely known in the industry as Blackout Wednesday. So, a lot of people are looking to get too drunk, and you got to make sure people are having a good time, but also being safe about it,” said Danny Crissinger, manager of the Queen Anne Beerhall.

Crissinger tells FOX 13 Seattle his staff will keep an eye on patrons and cut anyone off who has had too much to drink. 

Whether you call it Blackout Wednesday, Drinksgiving, or some other name — state troopers want you to plan for how you’re getting home.

“Last year, during this same time period, just the Thanksgiving time period, we in King County, as troopers, arrested 54 suspected impaired drivers. We had 160 collisions over that four- or five-day span, and three were serious injuries,” said Trooper Rick Johnson with WSP.

DUIs are dangerous and deadly. Johnson tells FOX 13 Seattle they are also so easy to avoid.

“We really want to encourage public transportation, ride-shares, Lyft, Uber, it’s just so easy to have other alternatives to make the roadways safe,” said Johnson.

Johnson tells FOX 13 Seattle that starting this week, troopers will have extra patrols in DUI hot spots. This emphasis will continue throughout the remainder of the year for the holiday season.

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