This week on Canyon Park Blog, we’re helping you stay safe by encouraging everyone in our apartment community to observe National Impaired Driving Prevention Month! We’re sharing a few precautions that you can recommit to living this month and throughout the upcoming new year. As you attend various holiday celebrations serving alcohol, these tips will keep yourselves, as well as anyone else driving on Puyallup, WA roads, a little bit safer.
Use Another Form of Transportation
Though driving seems like the most convenient option to get to your holiday parties, there are plenty of other options to get you where you need to go. Check public transportation routes and schedules to see if there is a bus nearby that takes you to your various destinations. If there isn’t, try using a ride service like Lyft or Uber to drive you to and from your event. It might cost you extra time or money to use a form of transportation other than your own car, but you won’t regret it when you wake up safe the next morning.
Choose a Designated Driver
If you decide that alternative forms of transportation won’t work and you have to go by car, make sure to choose a designated driver before you leave. This might feel inconvenient at first; you may have to arrange a carpool, but doing so is responsible and it will protect both your own life as well as the lives of other drivers and passengers. Choosing a driver who has opted not to drink alcohol during the festivities means you have to plan ahead. Trust us. You’ll be grateful you did.
Know How to Spot Drunk Drivers
Because it isn’t possible for you to ensure that all other drivers will choose to drive sober this month, it’s important to be able to identify drunk drivers on the road. In the case that you spot a driver who is taking too long at a stoplight, making overly wide turns, braking unnecessarily, driving with no lights at night, driving on the wrong side of the road, or getting dangerously close to cars or other objects, there’s a decent chance that they are driving under the influence. If you see a drunk driver, get out of harm’s way, pull over, and report them to 9-1-1. It would be easy to just take a different street and avoid them. However, by calling the police, you could be saving someone’s life.
We hope these tips helped you to know how you can personally prevent impaired driving this holiday season. Thanks for reading, and may your holidays be responsible and safe!