With Christmas and New Year’s Eve just around the corner, there has never been a better time to talk about ways to avoid a DUI in 2018. The last thing anyone wants is to end the year with a DUI, a court date and a huge financial burden.
DUIs are, fortunately, very easy to avoid. All you have to do is avoid drinking or using drugs when you plan to drive. That might be easier said than done, though, so it’s good to have a contingency plan.
What are three good tips for avoiding a DUI around the holidays?
There are a few good tips that could help you avoid a DUI. They are to:
First of all, you can take steps to monitor how much alcohol you plan to have at a party or event. For example, if they have an open bar, it’s easy to overindulge. However, it’s also easy to limit yourself to a single drink per hour or less. This, in most cases, will keep you under the legal limit, though every person is different.
Another option that you can try is to bring a Breathalyzer with you. These portable devices are small, and many even come with key rings to place on your keychain. Simply blow into the device around 15 to 20 minutes after your last drink of the night to check your blood alcohol content. If it’s over .08 percent, wait another half hour or hour and test again. Make sure you don’t drive until your BAC is well under the limit and decreasing.
Finally, if you don’t want to monitor your drinking and you’re not interested in having a Breathalyzer on hand, consider having a ride come to pick you up. There are several options, like taxis, public transportation, ride-share services and friends or family. Even if you think it might be costly or annoying to seek a ride from someone else when you drove yourself to the destination, the likelihood is that it’s going to be much safer than driving yourself home that night.
These are three different things you can do to stay safer this holiday season and avoid a DUI. Drinking and driving never mix, so it’s always wise to plan ahead and find a way to get home without having to worry about driving yourself while intoxicated.
