Holiday parties are often great fun, until the day after, or sooner, if you have an accident on the way home. We all know holiday drinking can result in accidents or tragedy, and drivers are especially vulnerable at this holiday season.
Traffic police are extra-vigilant in this season and will notice you driving erratically before you see them. As the NHTSA says, it’s no fun to get arrested during the holidays. Let’s look at the dangers of holiday drinking.
Wikihow has a great page with tips for best behavior at the office Christmas Party. We can boil it down to one sentence: Come on time, eat before you have one drink, smile a lot and get out early before bad behavior may set in.
That covers you for office parties, and pretty much the same thing applies to most holiday events. The bottom line is that drinking impairs your driving ability. Nobody wants to become a driving fatality statistic, and no one wants to get arrested for drunk driving. If you cannot resist having more than is safe, give your keys to someone who is not drinking.
Talk to and supervise your teens during the holidays, as you would for summer break. According to the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility, the under-21 age bracket represents nearly 10% of alcohol-related fatalities in Tennessee. That should be enough reason to sit them down for a serious chat. You can also ask them to sign the online pledge not to drive buzzed here.
And for all you over-burdened moms and dads this season, remember to keep stress levels down. You don’t need to make all the recipes Martha recommends, and don’t shop yourself ragged. Fatigue and distracted driving can be just as dangerous as drunk driving, so don’t multi-task when you are running errands in the car!
At this very busy time of year, everyone is trying to get home, travel to holiday parties or get together with family and friends. Work, last minute shopping, and traveling to spend the holidays with family are in addition to their daily normal travel.
In summary, this time of year there are more people traveling, more parties, more families in vehicles, more night traffic, and all of these issues increase the traffic and accidents on our roads and interstates.
This season is a season of joy, giving thanks to God, to family, and friends, all our loved ones. It is the stuff of which memories are built, that last a lifetime. Lets be careful to make sure they are the best memories, of the best times of our lives!
Take a look at this humorous video for the lighter side:
At Stillman and Friedland we want to be sure you are safe and have a wonderful holiday and meaningful connection to the real values of these holidays, loving, caring, family, church, and closeness to God. Enjoy the holidays and enjoy friends and family. Make your holiday memories fond ones!
Jay Stillman Stillman and Friedland Attorneys
