Every day, you hear stories on the news about someone being injured in a drunk driving accident. As a driver yourself and a responsible adult, you want to do your part to help prevent these tragic accidents from happening.
Fortunately, there are a variety of organizations you can join and steps you can take to advocate against drunk driving. Follow the steps below to make a difference in someone’s life and keep the roads safe.
Host Responsible Parties
If you host a party with drinks, you should let your friends know when they can and cannot drive home. If someone is too drunk to drive, call a cab, or make them get a ride with a sober friend. If nothing else, offer to let your friend stay at your house overnight.
You should also serve plenty of food along with your drinks and make sure your friends have enough water. Stop serving drinks at least an hour before you plan to end the party.
Let your guests know you have a firm anti-drinking and driving policy, and don’t waver even if they pressure you to let them drive home. Your behavior can encourage your friends to set similar boundaries. At the very least, you’ll keep a few more drunk drivers from heading out on the road the night of your party.
Join an Organization
A variety of organizations work to keep drunk drivers off the road, combat alcoholism, and raise awareness about drunk driving. Consider joining or donating to one of the following groups:
- Drunk Driving Prevention Organization (DDPO): This non-profit group raises awareness about drunk driving and contributes to safe roads.
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD): This volunteer-based organization advocates for anti-drunk driving laws, supports survivors and victims, and raises awareness about the problem of drunk driving within communities.
- National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD): Advocates in this organization work to help alcoholics recover. They aim to keep roads safe by educating people about alcohol and drugs and providing resources for recovery.
Click here for more information regarding laws and consequences of drunk driving. Do some research yourself as well and see what other organizations are out there.
Host an Intervention
If you know your friend or family member has a problem with alcohol, don’t stay silent. You’re not just endangering your friend and family member’s life with your silence—you’re potentially endangering innocent people on the road.
If you think your loved one could benefit from an intervention, get in touch with a professional. During the intervention, you’ll be able to express your care, compassion, and concern for your loved one, and hopefully encourage him or her to seek treatment.
If your loved one isn’t amenable to an intervention, doesn’t want to seek help, or seems dangerous, protect yourself by setting firm boundaries. Let your family member or friend know that you won’t tolerate drinking on your premises and that you have firm rules about drinking and driving. Take a firm stance about drunk driving and encourage your loved on to do the same.
Apply these three tips to do your part to take a stand against drunk driving. You’ll make the roads a little safer for everyone, yourself included, and you’ll help those in need get help before a tragedy occurs.
This article is from Brooke Chaplan, a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most her time hiking, biking and gardening. For more information contact Brooke via Twitter @BrookeChaplan.
