Did you know that around 1 million arrests are made annually in the U.S. for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs?
While drinking and driving is a year-round problem, there’s something about the holidays that encourages people to consume more than would otherwise be the case. If your holiday fun will include spending time with friends, remember that drinking and driving don’t mix.
Forego the Drinks and Be the Designated Driver
It’s possible to have a fun time without consuming any alcohol—no matter what social media may tell or show you. But if you’ll attend holiday season gatherings where booze will be on tap, why not be a designated driver? You can be part of the solution during the festive season by ensuring friends get home safely. Here are 15 tips to remember if you want to be a designated driver this holiday season.
Commit to Staying Sober
If you’re taking on the important responsibility of being a designated driver, you can’t touch any liquor. You can’t deviate, take even a little sip, or do anything that compromises your commitment.
Even one slip-up can lead to disastrous consequences. On the one hand, you don’t want to be a designated driver charged with a DUI offense. On the other hand, you don’t want to let down people you promised to help.
Plan Your Route
It’s a good idea to know what’s on the agenda ahead so you can find out the best ways to get there. If you’re familiar with the places you and your friends will go during the holiday, route planning might not be such a big deal. But if you’ll all be going to establishments outside of the regular for your group, knowing how to get there and arranging alternate routes just in case of road closures or traffic makes sense.
Set Expectations with Your Group
You need to ensure everyone knows your expectations, such as what time to head out and what time to head back home. Ensure they understand that your agreeing to be the designated driver doesn’t mean you’re there to babysit. If anyone in your social group has a problem with drinking, you might want to exclude them or at least lay down the ground rules.
Ensure Your Car Is in Good Shape
When agreeing to drive people to and from events, ensure your vehicle is up to the challenge. You may be making multiple stops to pick up and drop off several people over the night. If your car is in good shape, things will flow much more smoothly than if you own an unreliable hoopty.
Know Your Passengers
It’s a good idea to know your passengers. You’ll be responsible for getting them home safely. The last thing you want is to include someone unfamiliar to you who causes more trouble than it’s worth.
Limit Your Passenger Count
It might seem obvious to limit your passenger count. But that doesn’t mean you have to carry as many people as there are seats and seatbelts, and certainly not more than that. If you don’t want to drive the entire night, you might limit your passenger count to two or three people.
Be Punctual
Starting things off on the right foot is always a good idea. If you’re late and your friends get to the function well after it starts, that could cause some hard feelings among those counting on your help. Being on time and encouraging your friends to do the same will also reduce the urge to drive faster than you should to get to the event on time (and reduce the likelihood of friends drinking too much to make up for lost time).
Keep an Eye on Your Group
Assuming you’ll be at the event with your friends rather than dropping them off and picking them up afterward, you’ll want to keep track of them. No, you don’t have to treat them like your little ones. You’re not their parent, after all. However, when the agreed-upon heading-home time comes, you don’t want to have to hunt for your friends.
Encourage Moderation
If you see your friends getting a little too carried away with their drinking, encourage them to take a breather. You don’t want to have to carry any of them to your vehicle after a night of drinking like a fish. You can’t control what they do, but you can be the voice of reason to encourage them not to drink so much that they can barely walk without assistance.
Stay Engaged
Some people think that going to holiday parties means you have to imbibe. You can have just as much fun sticking to non-alcoholic drinks. In fact, you can have more fun when there’s no risk of drinking so much that you don’t recall what you did the night before.
Avoid Arguments
Avoid getting into arguments with people who have been drinking. Someone who is normally calm and rational can become agitated and irrational after a few too many drinks. You’re the sober one. So, avoid doing anything that can escalate minor disagreements.
Ensure Seatbelt Use
Don’t forget to ensure everyone in your car wears seatbelts. Your car, your rules. While some people are loosey-goosey about whether or not they buckle up, let people know they have no such choice if traveling in your vehicle. An unseatbelted occupant can become a projectile in an accident—endangering everyone else in the car. That’s a no-no.
Get Emergency Contacts
Ask your passengers for emergency contact information, just in case. While you’ll hope nothing terrible happens, it’s best to be ready for the worst while hoping for the best.
Be Patient
Try not to take things too seriously. Your friends might do or say things that they normally wouldn’t when they are inebriated. As the designated driver, you may be seen as the bad guy trying to ruin everyone’s fun. But you can rest assured your friends will appreciate you when they’ve sobered up.
Enjoy Yourself
Being the designated driver doesn’t have to mean having no fun. Again, you don’t have to drink to enjoy yourself. So, make the most of the event or function, but make it an alcohol-free occasion.
Being a Designated Driver Is the Gift That Keeps on Giving
You can do your part to keep the roads safer when you serve as a designated driver. It’s a big responsibility. If you take on this duty, understand that you’re part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
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