(COLDWATER) – Millions of travelers will be on the roads this Thanksgiving weekend.

The Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency wants to ensure drivers and their passengers are safe during this special time of year. In 2018, there were 513 passenger vehicle occupants killed in vehicle crashes across the United States.

Two recent trends have sprung from the Thanksgiving holiday: “Blackout Wednesday” and “Danksgiving”. These trends highlight, and even encourage, the heavy consumption of alcohol and marijuana throughout the long holiday weekend. The CHA reminds vehicle drivers that impaired driving of any kind, is dangerous and illegal in all 50 States. Whether the drug was legally prescribed or illegally obtained, drug impaired driving poses a threat to the drivers, their passengers and other users of the road.

Jim Cook, CHA Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, reminds people to use judgment before driving or getting in a vehicle with a person who has been drinking or using drugs.