What are You going to do about it?
You don’t have to act like a cop or someone’s dad to stop someone who’s drunk from getting behind the wheel. If you have the power to save a friend from jail or a loved one from a crash, shouldn’t you use it? It may be a life-saving decision. For instance, your own.
Keep an eye on your friends.
Sure, they’re adults, and they can take care of themselves. But you know them, and you can tell when they have had too much to drink. Before they get behind the wheel of a car, recognize changes in their attitude, personality or sense of balance. You’ll know if they’ve overdone it.
“Tolerance” is not the same as BAC (blood alcohol concentration). A person’s ability to “hold his liquor” has no relation to his BAC. Two people who are the same gender and size can drink the same amount of alcohol in the same amount of time can have very different tolerances, but the same BAC.
Stop someone who’s been drinking from driving.
- Use a calm approach at first. Suggest to them that they’ve had too much to drink and it would be better if someone else drove or if they took a cab.
- Tell them that if they insist on driving, you are not going with them. Suggest that you will call someone else for a ride, take a cab, or walk.
- If it is somebody you don’t know well, ask their friends to try to persuade them to hand over the keys.
- Take away their keys when they’re not looking. Most likely, they will think they've lost them and will be forced to find another mode of transportation.
- If possible, avoid embarrassing the person or being confrontational, particularly with guys.
Report a drunk driver.
If you think you spot a drunk driver, do not attempt to stop the vehicle. Follow from a safe distance, take down the license plate number and description of the vehicle, the direction in which it is traveling and report to area law enforcement. Some of the signs of an impaired driver may be:
- Weaving
- Headlights off
- Braking erratically
- Stopping for no apparent reason
- Almost striking another vehicle
- Accelerating or varying speed for no reason
Be a great host.
Just because you’re responsible doesn’t mean you can’t throw a good party.
- Encourage your guests ahead of time to designate a driver.
- Have a key basket and collect each guest’s car keys. Know the condition of your guests before returning their keys.
- Serve food and include non-alcoholic drinks alongside alcohol
- Designate a bartender. He/she can watch the number of drinks and the amount of alcohol in each drink.
- Stop serving alcohol at least one hour (preferably 90 minutes) before the party is over. Bring out dessert, coffee and other non-alcoholic drinks.
- Be prepared to arrange for a ride home for your guests if necessary or to invite them to spend the night.
