After the last couple of years we’ve had, many people are ready to say good bye to 2021 and welcome in 2022. As friends and families gather for the holidays, more people will be on the road than usual. In 2018, there were 285 fatalities caused by drunk driving during the Christmas and New Year’s periods. The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and the If You Feel Different, You Drive Different—Drive High Get a DUI campaigns are from December 18th through January 1st. During this holiday season, law enforcement will be out in full force to prevent high and drinking drivers from causing needless tragedies on our roads.
New Year’s Eve is often associated with good times and fun parties. Keep in mind that there’s a big difference between using and misusing alcohol and other drugs. Misuse is when someone uses a substance for a purpose that isn’t consistent with legal or medical guidelines, such as taking a pharmaceutical drug that wasn’t prescribed to you.
We’re not here to tell you not to drink, or use drugs. Our only goal is to present the facts regarding substance use and driving, and to help you make low-risk decisions on drinking and drug use. If you plan to party on New Year’s Eve, or on any night, here’s what you should keep in mind.
Alcohol
Alcohol is a depressant, which means it slows down activity in the brain and the central nervous system. When people drink alcohol, they may have difficulty walking or moving, and their ability to speak may be so impaired that they slur their words.
The amount of alcohol in a drink depends on what you’re drinking. Most alcoholic beverages will tell you the alcoholic proof (i.e., the percentage of alcohol times two) on the label. So, you’ll know that 80 proof liquor contains 40% alcohol.
Drinking drivers tend to believe there’s minimal risk when they get behind the wheel. They think that if they’re only driving a short distance, everything will be fine. Some people even think that alcohol or other drugs actually enhance their driving ability. Alcohol and other drugs can affect your judgement. There’s never a good excuse for risking the lives of yourself and other roadway users by driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
Alcohol diminishes your ability to identify hazards and respond to them. Reaction times are slowed greatly, even if you’re able to make the correct driving decision (e.g., stopping at a stop sign). If you are under the influence of alcohol, you may be unable to handle an emergency situation that requires quick decision making and reflexes.
Distance, depth, and speed perception are also affected by the consumption of alcohol. This means that a drinking driver may not be able to tell how fast they are driving or how far away the stop sign up ahead is. Their ability to make decisions is severely compromised when they’re not perceiving what’s happening around them correctly.
Impaired drivers also forget how to perform certain tasks, such as turning on or dimming headlights. They often forget to buckle their seat belts, increasing their risk of death in a crash.
Other Drugs
Alcohol isn’t the only drug that New Year’s Eve partiers may consume. Alcohol is a depressant, but so are many other types of drugs, like sleeping pills, tranquilizers, and barbiturates. Xanax, Prozac, and other anti-anxiety and depression medication are also depressants. They help to calm the brain and body down.
Of course, the effects of depressants can be dangerous when it comes to driving. They can cause you to become sluggish and inattentive when you’re behind the wheel, which often means you do not react quickly enough to avoid collisions.
Keep in mind that some depressants are legal to consume as prescribed by your doctor. If you’ve been prescribed a depressant, ask your doctor or pharmacist how these drugs might affect you and your driving.
Stimulants do the opposite of depressants: they stimulate the mind and body by increasing the production of excitatory neurotransmitters. These drugs cause a sense of energy, alertness, talkativeness, and well-being that users find pleasurable. Users also experience an increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and dilation (opening) of the lungs. When injected or smoked, these drugs cause an intense feeling of euphoria. With prolonged use, a user may exhibit nervous habits, such as drumming their fingers or tapping a foot.
At high doses, especially when the user has not been prescribed the medication by their doctor, stimulants can give the user a false sense of well-being and make the user wrongly believe that they are super alert. This effect often causes the driver to take foolish and life-threatening risks.
When the effect of a stimulant wears off, which happens suddenly, a user becomes tired quickly. When a person who is driving comes off a high, this can cause the user to lose concentration and alertness, placing them in a dangerous situation.
How to Avoid Impaired Driving on New Year’s Eve
If you don’t want to participate in alcohol or drug use but still want to hang out, tell your peers beforehand that you’re not going to drink with them, and hopefully they’ll be understanding of that. It’s easier to tell them ahead of time while they’re sober rather than waiting until they’re impaired and not using their best judgment.
If you do plan to party on New Year’s Eve, here are some alternatives to intoxicated driving:
- Designate a sober driver who won’t drink or use other drugs that day so they can safely drive everyone home.
- Call a cab or a rideshare service, or a trusted friend or family member to pick you up.
- If you’re at a party, consider sleeping over rather than driving home at night when you’re impaired.
- Decide not to drink or use other drugs while out when you know you’re not going to be able to get home safely.
Stay safe by planning ahead when you know you’re going use alcohol or other drugs to make sure you’re not forced to make the decision of whether or not to drive while your judgment is impaired. If you’re going out with friends, make sure ahead of time that you’ll all be able to get home safely. Never get in the car with a driver who’s intoxicated, and if you can, urge them not to drive while intoxicated, either.
Please stay safe this holiday season! If you’re out on the roads, drive cautiously and safely.
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