BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WTHR) - It's lights on the car, boots on the ground for police on Indiana roads starting Wednesday night.
Police across Indiana talking turkey - with patrols to nab drunk and impaired drivers on one of the worst nights of the year for it.
Sgt. Curt Durnil with Indina State Police in Bloomington says "any time there are going to be more cars on the roadway, just do the math. The crashes are going to go up. More aggressive drivers are going to be on the road."
There's something else, too. And there's a name for it.
They call it "Black Wednesday" or "Blackout Wednesday." Students home from school for Thanksgiving. There are more parties and there are more drunk drivers.
Thirty-five percent of deaths over Thanksgiving are alcohol-related, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says.
"I worry about it when I am driving around," Melissa Laney of Martinsville said.
When she heard about Blackout Wednesday, Jaryn Rike in Martinsville replied with surprise.
"Oh really?" she said. "Thanksgiving is about family, not really getting drunk."
Law-enforcement officers, like ISP Trooper Seth Parker out of Bloomington is working to prevent a repeat of last Thanksgiving's ten traffic deaths on Indiana highways. So state and local police will have extra patrols and are pushing out the safety message in tweets.
Troopers said they're looking for aggressive drivers, improper lane changes, speeding and more.
"I definitely noticed more police present," said David Gabey, who was in Bloomington for a basketball game at IU. "It's a good thing. I think it helps with people who are driving drunk or intoxicated."
Durnil says state police just want to make sure there isn't an empty seat at the Thanksgiving dinner table.