5 Road Safety Tips to Avoid a New Year’s Car Accident
New Year’s Eve is around the corner and you want to avoid a car accident! Drinking and celebrating with friends and family go hand in hand with New Year’s Eve. The trick is to enjoy the party and get home safely. Sadly, along with New Year’s Eve parties comes roads filled with drunk drivers and drunk driving accidents. New Year’s Eve is one of the most dangerous nights of the year for car accidents and drinking and driving incidents. With alcohol being such an integral part of the revelry, too many people choose to drive home while under the influence. January 1 is not the deadliest day of the year but it is one of the worst for serious car accidents caused by drunk drivers.
Rash and negligent driving or driving under the influence of alcohol are the most common causes of New Year’s car accidents but darkness and winter driving conditions also play a role. The majority of motorists killed on New Year’s Eve are between the ages of 15 and 45.
5 New Year’s Eve Road Safety Tips
- Plan ahead. If you are planning to drink at a party, plan to stay overnight or to get home safely. Can you book a hotel within walking distance? Call a cab or have a designated driver.
- If you are hosting the party, offer your spare room, couch and floor to anyone who would like to stay overnight. Better to have a crowded house then to see your friend or family member get hurt or injure someone else on the road. If your friend insists on getting home be sure that they are not drunk or call them a taxi. You can also make sure that there are plenty of non-alcoholic beverages available along with some hearty snacks to help your guests from getting out of control drunk.
- Call the police if you suspect a drunk driver. Help keep the roads safe; pull over and call the police if you see someone speeding excessively or weaving on the road. Keep your distance from the car and don’t approach them yourself. You could end up preventing a car accident.
- Celebrate without alcohol if you need to drive home. Be brave and start a new tradition! Keep yourselves entertained with board games and great conversation. The best part will be spending New Year’s day without a hangover!
- If you are driving home, drive with extra caution and care. You don’t know the condition of the drivers around you so defensive driving is your friend.
If you or a loved one were injured in an accident, you have enough to deal with. Let an experienced accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times bigger with the help of a lawyer. Call the caring accident attorneys at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!