As much fun as New Year’s Eve is, it’s one of the most dangerous nights of the year to be out on the road in the St. Louis area. Many people are tempted to drink and drive. There are also higher incidents of drowsy driving from people staying out late at parties and returning home well after midnight. However, there are some steps that drivers can take to avoid car accidents and have a happy and SAFE New Year.
Plan Ahead
Plan ahead to help you stay safe on New Year’s Eve. Figure out which party you will be attending, when the party might be over, and how long it might take you to get home after it’s over. The closer it gets to the New Year, you can discuss with your friends or family about designating a sober driver for the evening. If no one volunteers to be the designated driver, save some local cab company phone numbers in your cell phone and set aside some cash to pay them. Some cab companies in the St. Louis area allow you to book a ride in advance since they will likely be very busy that night. You should also check into city busses and shuttle services.
Offer Non-Alcoholic Drinks
If you are the host of the New Year’s Eve party, you should offer non-alcoholic versions of the drinks you are serving, as well as soda, tea, or water. There may be a designated driver in the group who can’t drink or someone who just doesn’t like to drink. As the social host, your friends’ and family’s safety should be high on your priority list. Of course you should have fun, but you should also keep it safe.
Take a Nap in the Afternoon
If you know you are going to be out late, then you should consider taking a nap in the late afternoon. It will help you to not be so fatigued at the end of the night. You will be able to drive home more safely than you would without that nap. A late afternoon nap is especially good for a designated driver who would be driving several people home that night.
Sobering Statistics for NYE Injuries
Statistically, the holiday season has a very high number of deaths and injuries related to alcohol consumption. Despite this being made aware to the public, this behavior continues. People are too busy having a good time to realize how dangerous their behavior is.
Last year alone, deaths in crashes involving drunk drivers increased almost 5% over the previous year. In the holiday season alone, there were over 800 people killed in drunk-driving accidents last year. What’s worse, most of the deaths were NOT the drunk drivers. Many of them were innocent people who were killed because of the negligence of a drunk driver.
According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), 2 out of every 5 deaths that occurred during the New Year holiday were due to a drunk driver. The percentage is high at Christmas as well at a sobering 37%, but the New Year is even higher at over 40%.
Drunk driving is negligent driving. If you have been hurt because of the negligence of a drunk driver, or a loved one has been killed because of someone’s negligence, CONTACT the LIESER LAW FIRM today.