With holiday festivities in full swing, MADD Canada is urging Canadians to keep roads safe by preventing impaired driving.
“As you celebrate the holidays and ring in the New Year, please make the promise to yourself and your loved ones to never drive impaired and to plan ahead for a sober ride home if you’re consuming alcohol, cannabis or other drugs,” said MADD Canada National President Tanya Hansen Pratt.
Impaired driving causes hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries every year. Everyone has a role to play in preventing these tragedies.
- Never drive impaired – call a cab, take public transit or arrange a designated driver;
- Never ride with a driver who is impaired;
- Call 911 to report suspected impaired drivers.
“Planning ahead for a sober ride only takes a few minutes and can prevent a lifetime of grief and heartache,” Ms. Hansen Pratt said.
Whether you’re attending holiday or New Year’s parties or hosting a party yourself, here are some tips to celebrate responsibly and start the new year off right.
For Party-Goers:
If you’re making the rounds to holiday and New Year’s parties, plan ahead for how you’re getting home.
- Take a cab.
- Take public transportation.
- Arrange a designated driver.
- Or plan to spend the night.
For Party Hosts:
Here are some simple precautions you, as a party host, can take to make sure your guests don’t drive under the influence of alcohol and/or cannabis:
- Have lots of food and non-alcohol/low alcohol beverages available.
- Serve drinks yourself so you can monitor how much your guests are consuming. Don’t serve alcohol to guests who are already intoxicated. Stop serving alcohol long before you expect the party to wind up.
- If guests are consuming cannabis, try to be aware of their consumption / impairment levels.
- Know how your guests are getting home and who is driving.
- If you have Uber in your area, download the app.
- Have taxi numbers available.
- Be prepared to have intoxicated guests spend the night at your house.
Canadians wanting to plan their sober and reliable ride home from holiday and New Year’s celebrations can do it with just the push of a button – check out Uber, the Official Designated Ride of MADD Canada. Visit https://www.uber.com/ca/en/ for more information.
MADD Canada is currently in the midst of its 36nd annual Project Red Ribbon campaign to promote safe and sober driving during the holiday season. For more information, please visit: http://madd.ca/pages/programs/awareness-campaigns/project-red-ribbon/.