Although more people tend to die in car crashes during the summer months (667 deaths over the 4th of July weekend in 2005 vs 563 over Thanksgiving that year), holidays are always a good time to be especially careful about drinking and driving. Young men age 15-24 experience the highest number of car crash deaths and, despite the fact that alcohol-related traffic crash fatalities have gone down from 60% in 1982 to 40% in 2004, alcohol continues to be a major cause.If a car accident doesn't kill a young male drinking driver, his excessive alcohol consumption will start to take its toll in other ways within a few years time.
The American male hit hardest from alcohol-related causes is the Native American Indian. Between ages 25-44, American Indian males die from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis 10.3 times more than Asian Americans (who have the lowest death rates), experience accidental deaths 5.7 times more and commit suicide 2.1 times more.
Thanksgiving, to me, means thanks for this beautiful land we live in, which was inhabited first by our fellow Native Americans. My Thanksgiving wish is that they don't end the holidays dead.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for traffic crash info:
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Resources/DatabaseResources/QuickFacts/TrafficCrashes/crash01.htm
CDC for deaths from select causes by month in 2005:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/MortFinal2005_Worktable304.pdf
Cause of Death book chapters on Accidents, Suicide and Bad Plumbing for lots more
http://www.amazon.com/Cause-Death-Perfect-Little-Guide/dp/1416554793/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227555161&sr=1-1
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