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When you think of the year’s drunkest days, which ones come to mind? For some, the answer is easy: Super Bowl Sunday. Others immediately turn to Independence Day, oft-celebrated with beers and barbecue. Still others think of Labor Day, when much of America has the day off. But actually, one of the holidays with the highest consistent alcohol use falls much later in the year: Thanksgiving.

During the fall/winter holiday season, cars flood the roads as travelers gather with their families and friends in celebration. This influx of vehicles correlates with an increase in DWI arrests. The increase starts the day before Thanksgiving, a day sometimes nicknamed “Black Wednesday,” one of the country’s busiest nights for bars. The period of high DWI arrests continues until after January 1.

This increase in DWI arrests is likely the result of increased enforcement, coupled with the number of cars on the road and extra law enforcement measures such as DWI roadblocks. If you are pulled over under suspicion of DWI in Austin during the Thanksgiving holiday, remember these tips:

  • DO NOT take the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST). You are under no legal obligation to take these tests and will suffer no administrative or criminal penalties for refusal. These tests (the one-leg stand, the walk-and-turn and horizontal gaze nystagmus) are designed for you to fail.
  • DO NOT blow into a portable breathalyzer unit. These devices are unreliable, and you are under no legal obligation to submit to this test.
  • DO treat the officer politely, and offer your ID and insurance information when asked.
  • DO immediately contact a DWI attorney to discuss your options for having your charges reduced or dismissed.

Our law firm represents clients accused or DWI in Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Leander, Taylor, Hutto, New Braunfels, San Marcos and throughout the rest of Central Texas.

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