Select a Designated Sober Driver in Advance
While non-alcoholic beverages are increasing in popularity on a global level, New Year’s Eve party games often involve alcohol. If you’re bidding a collective farewell to the old year with friends, it’s in your best interest to select a designated driver before you leave home or start drinking.
Our Los Angeles car accident lawyers believe that choosing a designated driver makes it easier to avoid the temptation to get behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated. Your early decision-making can also prevent dangerous car crashes that might put a damper on your New Year’s celebrations.
You can also work with friends to appoint a second sober designated driver in case your first choice finds themselves unsafe to drive. The more precautions you take, the safer you can be at your New Year’s Eve parties.
Drink Responsibly
One of our best New Year’s Eve road safety tips centers on the steps you can take to keep yourself sharp throughout a night of partying.
If you are drinking on New Year’s Eve, it’s in your best interest to drink responsibly. Alcohol poisoning is dangerous and devastating. Watching your alcohol consumption makes you a better friend and lets you protect yourself from accidents and encounters that might otherwise ruin your evening.
If there are non-alcoholic beverages available to you at the party you’re attending, consider alternating between those, water, and an alcoholic drink.
If you feel yourself starting to get drunk, our Los Angeles personal injury lawyers at Omega Law Group recommend taking a break from the party, getting something to eat, and checking in with your friends.
Use Rideshare Services and Public Transportation
If you find that neither you nor your designated drivers can safely get behind the wheel of a car, it’s time to take advantage of rideshare services like Uber or Lyft. These services can make a world of difference when it comes time to get home safely, as a sober driver can protect you from alcohol-related car accidents.
If you’re at the Times Square Ball Drop or attending a party in another busy part of the world, do be warned: rideshare services are convenient, but surge charges can make getting to and from your party an expensive endeavor. Even so, the cost of a rideshare is less expensive than ambulance fees, emergency room bills, and the cost of a car accident.
You can avoid the cost of rideshare services by taking public transportation to and from parties, including buses and trains in big cities. However, public transportation doesn’t afford you the privacy of rideshare services, and you won’t necessarily be able to use navigation apps to monitor your progress toward home.
Tips and Tricks for Hosting a Safe New Year’s Eve Party
If you are planning on hosting a New Year’s Eve party, you can also play a role in reducing drunk driving accidents. Omega Law Group’s party hosts use these New Year’s Eve safety tips to help protect guests:
- Provide plenty of food. If your guests drink on an empty stomach, they will get drunker faster. Try to avoid salty snacks, however, since they tend to make people drink more.
- Stop serving alcohol hours before the party ends.
- Serve other beverages besides alcohol, such as soda, juice, and water. Not everyone wants to drink and, if there are some designated drivers among your guests, having non-alcoholic options available will make staying sober easier.
- If possible, let guests who cannot safely drive back home spend the night. Even if all you can offer is a couch and a blanket, it is better than letting them drive drunk.
Drunk Driving Can Cause Devastating Accidents
No matter how many New Year’s Eve road safety tips you take advantage of, you can’t control how other people behave on the road. Law enforcement patrols may be out in full force, but someone else’s lane drift or lack of defensive driving can result in a devastating accident.
If you get into an accident with a drunk driver on New Year’s Eve, don’t panic. You can contact our legal team and secure representation almost immediately after your collision. Our involvement in your case can help you financially recover from your losses, even when insurers attempt to minimize the cost of your recovery.
Your case consultation with Omega Law Group comes free of charge and does not obligate you to move forward with a lawsuit or otherwise present your case for drunk driving accident compensation to a judge. We’re here to help you negotiate with insurance adjusters or protect your right to file a lawsuit before
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New Year’s Eve may be one of the most dangerous times to be on the road in the United States, if not around the world. Everyone on their way to parties wants to have the best possible time and can sometimes go overboard.
Fortunately, our New Year’s Eve safety tips can help you keep yourself safe as your evening progresses. Even if someone else’s bad behavior puts you in harm’s way, you have allies who are ready to support you throughout your recovery.
You can contact Omega Law Group today to discuss how experienced Los Angeles drunk driving accident lawyers can support you.
