Simple Ways to Avoid Driving Drunk over Christmas and New Years

From now through New Year’s Day, millions upon millions of people will be partaking in all types of celebrations with family and friends. Many of these festivities (especially New Year’s Eve) will include the drinking of alcohol, and while most of us will drink and drive responsibly, there will be those who have a little too much to drink and decide to get behind the wheel of a car. These days more than ever, though, there is absolutely no reason for you to become a statistic. To do our part in making sure everyone gets home in one piece, we’ve compiled a few simple tips for you to follow to keep you and your loved ones safe and sound through the holidays.

Understand How Alcohol Affects You

Millions of people love the effect of alcohol. It loosens you up, relaxes you, increases sociability, and makes you more confident. When ingested responsibly, it can be part of a fun night. The problem is that the increase in confidence can sometimes make you think you’re okay to drive when you’re not. Some people are more susceptible than others in this specific regard, so it’s important to understand how alcohol personally affects you.

Know Your Limit

This sounds simple enough, but most people who drink alcohol have a story or two about how they drank too much and the embarrassing consequences of overindulging. Although the effect of alcohol can vary depending on factors like how much you ate beforehand, the type of alcohol you drank, and how fast you drank it, most of us know our basic limit depending on what we’re drinking. If you don’t feel as if you can trust your own judgment, get a sober buddy to watch you and make sure you don’t go overboard.

Have a Designated Driver

Although millions of people drink over the holidays, even if it’s just a little eggnog, many don’t. While you may think that these friends or family members won’t want to be around a bunch of drunk people, the opposite is typically true. These people DO want to be invited to the same festivities and, just as importantly, they want to make sure you get home to your loved ones without a hitch. If you feel guilty about “dragging someone along,” then pool your money with others and buy the designated driver a special gift or take them out to an expensive dinner.

Call Uber or Lyft

Although many people like to joke about how “there’s an app for that” when it comes to everyday activities, the simple fact is that companies like Uber and Lyft not only provide us with the means of convenient travel at all hours of the day and night but also have the potential to keep us from getting into an accident when we really shouldn’t be driving. This is never more evident than when you or a friend need to get home after having one too many celebratory drinks. The holidays are a perfect time to exercise this technology.

Mintz Law Firm hopes your holidays go off without a hitch. We want everyone to get home safe and sound, and perhaps these tips that we’ve laid out will help. Happy holidays!