As Canada's 150th year passes into history, revelers will be out Sunday night to usher in 2018.
With New Year's Eve one of the biggest party nights of the year, MADD Windsor and Essex County is passing along tips to help people get to and from their parties in one piece. Whether celebrating at a friend's house, at a club or a public celebration, local MADD community leader Chaouki Hamka says it can all go wrong with someone's bad choice.
“Celebrations may turn to tragedy in an instant when someone makes the decision to drive impaired," says Hamka in a press release. “Spending a few minutes planning for a safe ride home will eliminate that risk.”
Prevention is simple whether you are going out or hosting a party. Hamka suggests a few simple guidelines to ensure you don't start 2018 in a police car, an ambulance, or a hearse.
If you're going out to celebrate and you're with friends, arrange for a designated driver who will not drink alcohol. If that is not practical, call a taxicab or Uber, or take public transit home. Hamka says it also won't hurt to prepare to spend the night wherever you might be ringing in the new year.
If you're hosting a party, Hamka says to make sure you do the following:
- Have plenty of water, soft drinks and low-alcoholic beverages available, and serve the drinks yourself so you can see how much your guests are drinking.
- Keep track of how your guests are getting home and who's driving.
- Never serve alcohol to someone who is already intoxicated.
- Keep the Uber app handy on your phone and have numbers available to local taxi companies.
- Once the ball drops, switch to soft drinks before you expect the party to break up.
Windsor Police have also been teaming up with Amherstburg Police and Ontario Provincial Police to conduct Festive RIDE checks to ensure no one is driving while impaired.