Safety Tips for Avoiding Drunk-Driving Accidents this Holiday Season

With the holiday season comes invitations to office parties, family gatherings, and football game get-togethers, and the opportunity to have great time socializing with friends and bonding with family members. This is the time we look forward to the entire year. Unfortunately, it is also the time when accidents due to drinking and driving increase dramatically.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the estimated traffic injury incidents as a result of DUI during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve/Day period are around 25,000 each year. In a report, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) showed that drivers involved in about 57 percent of traffic injuries and 52 percent of car accidents during the holiday season are reported to be under the influence of alcohol.

The most unfortunate aspect of these statistics is that the numbers are growing with every passing year. However, it is essential to educate yourself about the dangers of drinking and driving and learning about the ways to avoid tragedy with careful planning.

Safety Tips

Here are some useful tips to keep drunk drivers off the roads and minimize the probability of accidents.

• Call an Uber or a cab to take you home. You can also opt for a safety program such as Sober Rides and others. They provide free rides to people who are under the influence of alcohol.
• If you are going in a group, assign a person who will stay sober and drive everyone back after the party.
• Ask a friend or family member to keep an eye on you, and tell you to stop if you are drinking too much. In case you end up in an intoxicated state, ask them to hide your car keys and call a cab or drive you home.
• Make sure you eat food while drinking to avoid getting drunk. The food will hinder alcohol from entering into your bloodstream, and slow down its effect. It is best that you take only one drink per hour, while eating food.

If you are hosting the party, the responsibility of ensuring the safety of your guests falls on your shoulders as well.

• Put up a list of phone numbers of local cab companies or safety programs offering free rides to intoxicated individuals.
• Try to keep only non-alcoholic beverages, and serve a variety of food.
• As you circulate through the party, observe your guests. If you see someone having a lot of drinks or in an intoxicated state, ask around to find out whether they came alone or with some friends. In case of the former, ensure you ask a sober driver to take them home or call a cab for them.

It is common for people to celebrate cheerful occasions, like the holiday season, having some drinks with friends and family. However, you should never let the temptation to drive after taking too much alcohol take over and spoil the holiday. Moreover, the consequences of being involved in DUI case can be severe, so it is better to be safe than sorry later on.

If you have been in an accident due to reckless driving of a drunk driver, you should consider filing a lawsuit to recover damages. Contact Fisk & Monteleone LTD. today at 815-209-9030 to schedule a free case consultation with one of our experienced auto accident lawyers.