Being safe on New Year’s
It’s basically the biggest party of the year, with millions of Australians attending official events, parties or private get-togethers to ring in the new year.
But with all this excitement also comes a lot of busy roads, particularly in the hours leading up to the countdown and after. Regardless of whether you’re headed to a family-friendly event or you’ll be having a few drinks (or more), it’s important to keep the safety you and others on the road in mind.
More traffic and closed off routes
Given the numbers a New Year event can bring in, many people will head to the big ones (such as the fireworks display in each major city) very early on, and you’ll see plenty setting up their spot hours before the clock hits midnight. During these hours, traffic can increase substantially. If any roads have been closed off as part of the celebrations, it may also mean you’ll need to figure out an alternative route – no matter where you’ll be celebrating.
As we’ve mentioned in past blogs about road safety, it’s important to remain patient. Yes, there will probably be traffic jams and, yes, you’re probably going to have to deal with some inconsiderate drivers along the way. But as long as you go with the flow, you’ll get there. More importantly, you’ll get there in one piece. And even if after all your planning you still come across an unexpected detour, simply pull over when you can and choose the next best route.
Taxis may take a while to come to you
Regardless of whether you call a taxi or an Uber in the event you’ve had too much to drink to drive home yourself, remember that it may take little while for you to both get a hold of them and for them to arrive once they’ve received your call. If there’s one night where drivers will be taking a lot of inebriated people home, it’s on New Year’s. So be patient, and…
…under no circumstances should you drink and drive
Sadly, while all of us are aware of the consequences that can occur when alcohol and driving are mixed, many will still do this. Sometimes it’s the result of total disregard, sometimes it’s from an incorrect assumption that one has certainly “sobered up”. But the fact remains that any level of alcohol in your body can impair your judgement, which is why it must be at 0 for P platers and no more than 0.05 for those with open drivers licences.
If you’ve had any more than one or two standard drinks within the space of a few hours, you should seriously assess whether you can actually drive. This is particularly important for P platers, where your alcohol limit must be 0 – no questions asked. And then there’s also the fact that different people are affected differently by alcohol. The best approach is to play it safe. Had a drink? Take a cab or Uber.