Have a plan to get home tonight

“Regardless of what your plans are to welcome the New Year, everyone should do their part to eliminate the risk of impaired driving before they leave home,” said MADD Canada National President Denise Dubyk. “Ensuring a safe ride home for yourself or your guests takes just a few minutes and it can prevent a lifetime of pain and heartache.”

For party-goers

Whether you are going out to an event or club, or just attending a quiet celebration with family and friends, have a plan in place if you’re going to be drinking:

- Take a cab or bus.
- Arrange for a designated driver.
-Use the service of a volunteer organization such as Operation Red Nose
- Don’t accept a ride from a driver who may be impaired.

For party hosts

If you are hosting a party, think about how you can ensure your guests don’t drive impaired:

- Make sure you have food and non-alcoholic/low alcoholic beverages available.
- Serve drinks yourself, rather than have guests serve themselves, so you can monitor how much your guests have been drinking.
- Don’t serve alcohol to anyone who is intoxicated.
- Know how your guests are getting home and who is driving. Have numbers available for taxi companies. Be prepared to have intoxicated guests spend the night.
- Stop serving alcohol long before you expect the party to break up.
- Keep track of your own alcohol consumption. The more you drink, the more difficult it will be for you to anticipate problems, supervise the event and intervene to avoid potential problems.

Party hosts are legally responsible to do everything they reasonably can to stop people from driving impaired. For more information on social host liability and tips on safeguarding your guests, visit the “Legal Issues and Social Liability” section of the MADD Canada Resource Library at www.madd.ca.

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