How To Practice Holiday Safety!

By Published On: December 15th, 20211.9 min read

The holidays considerably involve spending quality time with friends and family which tend to involve lots of food, activities, and holiday-themed beverages. While it is perfectly okay to enjoy these activities with the ones you love and appreciate the most, be sure to be especially mindful of how to do so responsibly

 

Many people experience different feelings and emotions during the holiday season and engage in many different activities. Unfortunately, the not so merry reality is the increase in impaired driving during the holidays; according to NHTSA, 

  • 837 people lost their lives in traffic crashes involving a drunk driver in December 2019” and impacting the lives of “10,142 people [who were] killed in drunk-driving crashes” in all of 2019 (NHTSA, 2019) and additionally affecting the victims’ families whose lives were eternally changed. 

 

As part of the NHTSA preventative impaired driving initiative, 

  • “NHTSA is partnering with law enforcement … to spread the messages: Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and If You Feel Different, You Drive Different — Drive High Get a DUI. The campaign runs from December 18 through January 1 and aims to educate people about the dangers and consequences of driving drunk and high, and that law enforcement will be stepping up patrols to get impaired drivers off the roads.” 

 

The holidays are meant to spread love, cheer, and appreciation for one another so make it a goal this year- and always- to do your part in keeping your friends, family, and community safe. 

 

Here are some tips for being responsible and staying safe this holiday season:

  1. Assign, or determine, the designated driver
  2. Order an Uber/Lyft for after the function
  3. If you are the designated driver, commit to staying 100% sober
  4. If a friend is under the influence and plans to drive, be responsible and arrange an alternate way to get home (i.e. call a cab/Uber/Lyft; take their keys)
  5. If you see something, say something: if you see an impaired driver on the road, contact local law enforcement right away to help protect the driver and others on the road

 

References:

  1. Florida Drunk Driving Statistics & Arrests During the Holidays 
  2. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 
    1. 2021 Holiday Season Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over FACT SHEET Holiday Season 
  • Edited by TLC Intern Maria Abreu
author avatar
Jim West
Adolescent Expert, Jim West offers expert advice to Local and National TV News & Schools Internationally and provides phone or face-to-face counseling in the Orlando area. Jim is an Author, Communicator, School Consultant, Nationally Certified and State Licensed Counselor and specializes in counseling for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). Jim has been interviewed for multiple TV, Radio, magazine and newspaper articles. He is president of Total Life Counseling Center and his Total Life approach accelerates the therapeutic & healing process by relating to children, adolescents and adults and incorporating wellness. Jim’s clients travel from all over Florida, England, Georgia, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas as he has been able to treat clients with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Depression and more with FDA approved supplements and Dietary Modifications. 85% of his clients have not needed medication or used less medication than when they first came to Total Life Counseling Center.

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About the Author: Jim West

Adolescent Expert, Jim West offers expert advice to Local and National TV News & Schools Internationally and provides phone or face-to-face counseling in the Orlando area. Jim is an Author, Communicator, School Consultant, Nationally Certified and State Licensed Counselor and specializes in counseling for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). Jim has been interviewed for multiple TV, Radio, magazine and newspaper articles. He is president of Total Life Counseling Center and his Total Life approach accelerates the therapeutic & healing process by relating to children, adolescents and adults and incorporating wellness. Jim’s clients travel from all over Florida, England, Georgia, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas as he has been able to treat clients with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Depression and more with FDA approved supplements and Dietary Modifications. 85% of his clients have not needed medication or used less medication than when they first came to Total Life Counseling Center.

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author avatar
Jim West
Adolescent Expert, Jim West offers expert advice to Local and National TV News & Schools Internationally and provides phone or face-to-face counseling in the Orlando area. Jim is an Author, Communicator, School Consultant, Nationally Certified and State Licensed Counselor and specializes in counseling for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). Jim has been interviewed for multiple TV, Radio, magazine and newspaper articles. He is president of Total Life Counseling Center and his Total Life approach accelerates the therapeutic & healing process by relating to children, adolescents and adults and incorporating wellness. Jim’s clients travel from all over Florida, England, Georgia, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas as he has been able to treat clients with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Depression and more with FDA approved supplements and Dietary Modifications. 85% of his clients have not needed medication or used less medication than when they first came to Total Life Counseling Center.