Celebrate Responsibly This Holiday Season!

Calendars fill with social engagements this time of year, and traffic swells with distracted drivers running holiday-related errands. Remind students to be extra cautious when they're on the road—no one wants their holiday marred by a car crash, or worse yet, an injury or the loss of life!

Holiday festivities almost always include alcohol, which makes an exceptionally dangerous partner with motor vehicle operation. Stress to your students that, as is repeatedly noted in your lesson plans, the most dangerous and most irresponsible thing they could as a motorist is to drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs!

The tips below can help drivers to avoid alcohol-related hazards:

If You're Attending a Party

• Designate a driver, who will not consume alcohol (at all!), who will be responsible for driving home the other members of the group.
• If no one in your group wants to assume the responsibility of designated driver, or if you're attending an event on your own and intend to consume alcohol,…
• prearrange a safe ride home from a friend or family member.
• summon a taxi or a ride-sharing service such as Lyft or Uber.
• call 800 . 400 . 4222 at the time you need a ride to take advantage of AAA's Tipsy Tow program, which offers a tow home from your point of pickup (free for up to 7 miles) from 6 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. on Jan. 1.

If You're Hosting a Party

• Provide guests a varied selection of nonalcoholic beverages.
• Help to arrange transportation home for impaired guests, or arrange for them to have a place to stay.
• Give a gift to guests who volunteer to be designated drivers.
• Take the keys away from guests who have had too much drink.

It's never safe to consume alcohol or drugs and operate a motor vehicle, and it's easy to avoid the dangerous consequences. Do your part, and help to keep everyone safe this holiday season. Whatever you do, it's far less expensive than a DUI; and you might just save a life—including your own or that of a love one!