Safety Tips for St. Patrick’s Day Driving
Everyone wants to have fun on St. Patrick’s Day, but Rob Levine & Associates wants you to stay safe while you have your fun. No party is worth a life or a severe injury. Here are our best tips to keep yourself and others safe on St. Patrick’s Day:
Don’t drive under the influence. We can’t say this often enough: if you are planning to party and drink, make a plan in advance for how you are going to get home safely afterwards. Have a designated driver, arrange for someone to pick you up, or plan to take a taxi or public transportation. And remember, even a couple of drinks can lead to impaired driving.
Protect yourself from other drivers who may be drunk. Even if you are sober behind the wheel, many others likely are not, so drive defensively. Stay alert to all the cars around you, to protect yourself and your passengers from someone else’s drunk driving. If you see a driver on the road that you think is impaired, report him immediately to law enforcement, so they can get him/her off the road before an accident.
Watch out for drunken pedestrians. If you are driving near bars, clubs and other venues where people celebrate, you can expect that many people on foot will also be impaired, especially later in the evening. Don’t assume they will look both ways, stick to crosswalks, or exercise any caution in crossing the street. Slow down, be vigilant, and expect these pedestrian partiers to be unpredictable.
Take care of your friends and get them to take care of you. Make an agreement with your friends that you will not let each other drive drunk. And be prepared to stick to that plan no matter what. Take the keys away from someone you think is impaired, drive them home yourself, or call a taxi for them. They may get mad at the moment, but they will thank you later.
A taxi fare is a bargain compared to a drunk driving citation. If you’re worried about the cost of a cab, or even of having your car ticketed or towed because you left it overnight rather than driving home drunk, consider that those few dollars are insignificant compared to the expense and inconvenience of a drunk driving ticket. And when it comes to the cost of a taxi fare or parking ticket vs. the costs of a serious accident, there’s simply no comparison.
If the worst happens and you are involved in an accident in Rhode Island, Massachusetts or Connecticut, Rob Levine & Associates is always ready to help. Call (888) 533-7507 for more.
We hope you have a safe and happy St. Patrick’s Day.
