When it comes to a night of drinking, it’s important to determine your driver before you begin. Once you start drinking, you may feel that it’s okay to drive yourself. Perhaps, you may not drive, but you allow a friend who has been drinking to do so. Drinking and driving can lead to dangerous accidents and serious consequences, such as DWI charges. Therefore, it’s important to be selective when choosing designated drivers before your night out…
Choosing Designated Drivers: Having A Safe Night Out
Don’t Wait Too Late
The first step in choosing designated drivers, is to do so ahead of time. Waiting until that night of could mean you can’t find someone to drive. So, give yourself plenty of time. Begin asking friends earlier in the week if they would be up for being a DD. Then, you can form a plan for the night based on what that person agrees to. Will they go with the group and just refrain from drinking? Will they pick you up and drop you off? You’ll want to discuss all of this ahead of time.
Pick Someone You Trust
The next step in choosing designated drivers is to pick people you trust. Since people rarely volunteer to DD, it can be tempting to go with the first person that agrees to it. However, just because someone agrees, doesn’t make them a good candidate. You want to know that your DD won’t get out and decide to drink. Some friends, especially when they feel forced to DD, may not be able to refrain once they get to the bar. So, when choosing designated drivers, be sure it’s someone you know will stick to the plan.
Alternate Turns
Being a DD isn’t always fun. First, you don’t get to drink. Then, you have to babysit your intoxicated friends all night. In short, it’s not something most people want to do every weekend. Therefore, it’s good to make sure to rotate and take turns. Don’t always expect that one friend to agree to drive. Instead, take turns or even play a game to decide who should drive. By doing this, friends may not feel as reluctant when it’s their turn to drive. Then, take your turn next! The sooner you fulfill this role, the sooner you get to be on the other side of it!
In short, choosing designated drivers is important to the fun and safety of your night. You don’t want to get out and not have a ride home. Even more so, you don’t want to make the decision to drink and drive. Therefore, it’s important to choose someone you can trust, ahead of time, to be your DD.