NORTH CAROLINA: New Year’s Eve is a night of celebration and often includes a drink or two. If drinking is part of your holiday plan this season, the authorities ask you to drink responsibly and not get behind the wheel.
“Don’t start 2021 with a tragedy,” says Tiffany Wright, a spokeswoman for the AAA Carolinas. “You have a plan before taking the first sip of alcohol by designating a sober driver or using a travel-sharing service like Uber or Lyft to ensure a safe vacation for you and the rest of the people on the road.”
In North Carolina, the NCDOT says eight people died and 555 were injured in just over 1,200 accidents that occurred statewide in 2018 during the New Year’s Eve period until the day of New Year’s Eve. The South Carolina Department of Public Safety also reported just over 1,200 accidents during the same period last year, resulting in 16 fatalities and 549 injuries.
AAA Carolinas offers the following tips to make sure your New Year’s Eve 2021 celebration isn’t the last:
- Decide in advance whether to drink or drive; you can’t do both.
- Plan your trip home before nightfall, either by designating a sober driver or by planning to use a taxi / travel sharing service.
- Download a travel sharing app for convenience. Play with the app to familiarize yourself with it.
- Keep in mind those around you. If you see someone getting drunk behind the wheel, grab the keys and help them find a safe trip home.
- If you are hosting a party with alcohol, be a responsible host. Allow guests to spend the night if they need to or find them at home safely.
- Have non-alcoholic beverages on hand and stop consuming alcohol at least an hour before your guests return home.
- If you see a driver on the road that you suspect is damaged, approach a safe place and call 911, giving police a description of the vehicle.
Drivers must also watch for pedestrians when they reach the roads. Officials say walking intoxicated can be just as deadly as it can cause the person to be overlooked and ignore traffic signs. Bar trackers are asked to watch out for cars, cross at intersections, and obey walk signs.
The NC governor’s road safety program will be in full swing this season. The program is partnering with statewide law enforcement to celebrate its annual Booze It & Lose It holiday campaign, which runs from Dec. 8 to Jan. 1.
The SC Department of Public Safety will also be running a similar campaign called Sober or Slammer !, which will be held from December 12 to January 1.
During these campaigns there will be additional police measures on the roads to help detect disabled drivers.