New Year’s Eve is obviously the most exciting night of the year, but it’s also the most dangerous night to be on road, because of the increased number of drunk drivers. Streets are always busy on December 31st, with people driving to parties at their friends’ or family’s houses, or hitting the clubs to celebrate, many of whom are under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants, which impairs their driving abilities and makes them a serious public health hazard.
Statistics show that New Year’s Day is the deadliest day of the year, with more traffic fatalities than 4th of July, Halloween and other holidays associated with celebrations that involve excessive alcohol consumption. With so many drunk drivers on the roads, New Year’s Day is not a very safe day for pedestrians, either. That’s why both drivers and pedestrians need to be extra careful on New Year’s Eve and the next morning, and take some precautions before they head out to a party or return home from one, and the following tips might help you with that.
Get a Designated Driver
If you have to drive to a party for New Year’s Eve and you plan on drinking there, you must arrange for a designated driver to get you back home safely. It’s not that difficult to find a friend who is willing to stay sober and drive, and in return, you could offer to pick up their tab at the bar, which will obviously only include non-alcoholic beverages. Under no circumstances should you get behind the wheel after drinking, no matter how short your trip might be.
Call a Cab or Take the Subway
If you are not able to arrange for a designated driver, don’t be tempted to drive after you have been drinking the whole night. Getting a cab or taking the subway instead, is the much more reasonable and safer option. Even though you might have to pay a high cab fare, it will be nothing compared to the consequences and expenses you would face if you were charged with a DUI.
Stay at a Hotel
If you want to avoid high cab fares, or the subway and other public transport options are not available at the moment, you can go to a nearby hotel and stay the night there, and head back home in the morning, when there is no more alcohol in your bloodstream and you are able to drive.
Finally, even if you haven’t been drinking and your driving abilities are not impaired, you must be very careful while driving on New Year’s Eve, since streets will probably be pretty busy, bad weather will definitely affect driving conditions, and you will have to pay attention to drunk and distracted pedestrians, so it’s best if you drive slowly, avoid hard breaking, and don’t pass stopped vehicles.