You may think Valentine’s Day and alcohol are a great pair. If you have a way to get home from that date safely without drinking and driving, having a few drinks isn’t usually an issue for most people. But too many times, people drink without any plan on how they’ll get home safely. Unfortunately for many people who choose to drive after drinking, this love-filled holiday can also be full of DUI arrests, loss of life, and guilt that lasts a lifetime. That's no way to impress your date.
Spend your money on your date, not your bail
You thought those gifts for your Valentine were expensive? A DUI arrest can cost thousands of dollars including attorney fees, fines, court costs, and other expenses. This holiday already digs into your pocketbook, so don't let this be another thing you have to pay for! If you're driving after the date, enjoy non-alcoholic mocktails at dinner or go to the movies where alcohol isn’t as tempting.
Drive your date wild, but don't drive your date drunk
Another way to avoid drunk driving is to have a plan BEFORE you start drinking. Your safe driving plan may include public transportation, a designated driver, a ridesharing service, or NHTSA’s SaferRide app to call a taxi or a friend to pick you up. Think of it as part of the fun of your date. Having a chauffeured ride to take you around town for a Valentine’s outing sounds really special. You'll get bonus points from your date for being so thoughtful and responsible.
The perfect match: Flowers, chocolates, and safe driving
NHTSA reminds us that there is something far more dangerous on Valentine’s Day than forgetting the flowers, chocolates, or dinner reservations: drinking and driving. If you do drink a small amount of alcohol and plan to drive only after sobering up, make sure you understand the effects of alcohol on your body. Alcohol level is measured by the weight of the alcohol in a certain volume of blood, and this is called BAC (blood alcohol content or concentration). If you’re wondering how many drinks you can have and legally drive, the best and safest answer is zero. Remember that buzzed driving is drunk driving.
Happy Valentine's Day from Smart Start of Louisiana
A cocktail or glass of wine with dinner should be a small part of a beautiful, lasting memory, not the prelude to a deadly, drunk driving crash. This Valentine’s Day and every day after, share the love by always driving sober. To find out how Smart Start of Louisiana is helping to separate drinking from driving, call us or fill out our contact form.
