Plan a sober ride this St. Patrick’s Day
Many Tennesseans will have plans to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with family and friends. And several of these celebrations will involve copious amounts of green beer, which makes this holiday one of the biggest drinking days of the year.
Celebrating with alcohol is by no means bad, but you should arrange a sober ride home long before you head out on St. Patrick’s Day.
Why is a sober ride important?
According to a study by WalletHub, St. Patrick’s Day is the third most popular drinking day in the country. The popularity of this drinking day results in several other alarming statistics, including:
- A car accident involving alcohol occurs every 37 minutes on this day; and
- 75% of all fatal accidents involve a driver under the influence.
Planning ahead can help reduce the risk that these statistics pose to your celebration.
Make arrangements with a loved one beforehand
One way to make sure you have a sober ride home after St. Patrick’s Day celebrations is to arrange for someone to drive you home before you head out to celebrate. It can be helpful to:
- Plan for a friend or family member to come and pick you up; or
- Choose a designated driver to refrain from drinking, stay sober and ensure everyone gets home safely.
You should not only plan for a driver to take you home but also to take you to the festivities. Getting a ride and avoiding driving your own vehicle is another step to prevent drunk driving.
Call a rideshare
If you cannot arrange a sober driver before you head out, it can be helpful to get a ride to and from the festivities through a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft.
One of the benefits of ridesharing services is that they are almost always available. All you need is an app on your phone to hail a ride from wherever you and your friends might be.
While these rideshares can be expensive, it is worth it to pay the fare of a short ride than the costs, fines, and penalties of a DUI.
DUI patrols and checkpoints usually increase significantly around this holiday. Organizing a sober ride beforehand can help avoid the penalties of a DUI, but also keep yourself and others safe on the road during the holiday.