If your plans with the “one(s) you love includes a night out, plan ahead for a sober ride, because Buzzed or High- While- Driving is still Drunk Driving.
Driver-pedestrian responsibilities extend beyond being extra cautious during the holidays. Don’t force yourself into a frenzy and overlook your driving or pedestrian responsibilities.
Excited yet? Imagine a road trip with the person(s) you most want to spend time with to share passions; interests; and hopes. With expectations, at first: Of sharing cherished time with someone whom you dearly love.
Suddenly, the unthinkable happens; and you’re on the road faced with another travelers’ dangerous and selfish choice(s) to get behind the wheel distracted; high or drinking.
A brief look at Alcohol & Drugs
Drug toxicity can occur as a result of the over-ingestion of medication, causing too much of the drug to be in a person’s system at once.
Alcohol intoxication can affect a person’s judgment. A disturbance in behavior or mental function occurs during or after alcohol consumption.
Symptoms after drinking include slurred speech, incoordination, and mood and behavior changes. Sometimes, coma can occur.
Since prehistory, humans have experimented with naturally occurring substances for their psychoactive effects. There are four groups:
- Hallucinogens (substances causing visual, auditory, and other hallucinations);
- Inebriants (substances like alcohol, chloroform, ether, benzene, and other solvents and volatile chemicals);
- Hypnotics (substances causing states of sleep, stupor or calm, such as the mandrake, kava, tranquilizers and narcotics, including opium and its derivatives).
- Stimulants (substances causing an increase in mental and/or physical stimulation not usually impairing the user’s performance of daily tasks: tea, coffee, cocoa, Coca-Cola, tobacco, cocaine and amphetamines.
Narcotic/ opioid use comes with a variety of unwanted effects, including drowsiness, inability to concentrate, and apathy.
Caring for yourself and Others
The greatest way to say it. I ❤ LOVE YOU is to let that person know you care about their safety.
Although you may become immersed in some other event or working, try to schedule and plan your shopping, grooming, and other trips ahead of time. That perfect 🎁 gift is already on your mind, so commit to securing those arrangements early. Fine tune every detail of your trip.
Pre-trip travel plans
Travel arrangements made before the trip are more easily accessible mentally. Include “what if & if then” precautions as a side note preceding every event. Avoid as many common mistakes as possible.
You’ve made the right decision to not drive impaired, now the next step is finding a safe way home. Before you pick up your phone to book a driver or call a taxi, it’s important that you know how to stay safe.
Ride-Sharing, Ride-Hailing and Taxis
Confirm your ride by checking the license plate. Before getting into a ride-hailing vehicle, make sure the car and license plate match what you booked through the app. Many of these cars can look alike. You should also look at the driver and ask them their name, to confirm it matches the name and photo in the app.
Find a safe pick-up location
Pickup locations for ride-hailing services aren’t usually centralized. You should pick a location where you can wait inside until the driver arrives. If that’s not possible, choose an area to wait that’s away from the roadway, well lit, and where your driver can safely stop.
Request that your driver drop you off in a safe spot too.
Don’t step into the road to flag down a ride. Go to a taxi stand, call for a cab or request someone call a ride for you.
Pretty Woman was a great movie, but it’s never a good idea to accept a ride from a stranger who may stop after seeing you looking for a ride.
Always wear a seatbelt
Immediately introduce yourself before entering a vehicle that’s unfamiliar.
An introduction verifies permission to ride.
Even if it’s a quick ride and you’re in the back seat, you should always buckle up, and make sure that your driver wears their seat belt, too.
PACE TULSA 