The holiday season is upon us, but don’t let all the revelry distract you. More fatal drunken driving crashes occur between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve than at any other time of the year, according to statistics kept by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Don’t let yourself or someone you love become another statistic. This holiday season, make safety a priority. Here are some holiday safety tips that all drivers and passengers need to consider:
1. Designate a driver before you arrive at an event or party. By planning ahead, there is no question as to who is driving or how the group will be getting home.
2. If you drink, don’t drive, no matter how little you think you have consumed. If there is no designated driver who can drive you home, call a cab, or ask your party hosts if they know of a service you can call. Many tow truck companies offer free rides to people who ask for them on the big holiday party nights as part of an effort to deliver an important holiday safety message to the community. Phoenix, the Twin Cities metro, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago and the New York City metro – to name a few – have organized programs year-round and specifically for the holidays to get partiers home safely without driving.
3. If hosting a party, be sure to set rules on drinking and driving. Offer to provide a ride home, or a place for guests who drink to sleep.
4. Educate family, friends and co-workers about the risks of drinking and driving. Provide them with pamphlets or give Mothers Against Drunk Driving information and statistics to help bring awareness to the drinking and driving problem.
5. If possible, avoid driving during the early morning and late evening hours on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
By following these simple tips, you can not only help keep yourself, your friends and family safe, but those around you as well. Holiday safety is important to help everyone celebrate another season of parties and gatherings.
