It’s easy to lose sight of how much alcohol you’ve consumed when you go out to have a good time. It may be late before you realize it, and you may have to make your way home. Keep an eye out—you might be in for some trouble. Here are some top tips to help you drive safely and avoid DUI situations.
Find a Designated Driver for DUI Prevention
It’s essential to get a designated driver who can safely transport you home if you’re certain you’ll be drinking. This way, you’re no longer responsible for driving. Getting a designated driver also allows you to unwind and have more fun. The issue with having a designated driver is that they may consume alcohol as well. They may have a limit of one or two beers, but this can quickly escalate to three or four. If you pick someone to drive you home, make sure they commit themselves to soberness. You don’t want a friend to go to jail while attempting to assist you.
Eat Something Before Getting Behind the Wheel
An effective DUI prevention strategy is to avoid drinking on an empty stomach. This is a terrific option when you’re heading out on a dinner date and want to enjoy a glass of wine or beer. Food slows the absorption of alcohol into your system by causing your blood alcohol level (BAC) to rise slower. When you drink on an empty stomach, though, alcohol enters your system faster. When you’re not going out for a meal and know you’ll be home later, you can eat something like chips or pretzels to keep your blood alcohol level below 0.08.
Use Public Transportation or Ride Sharing
As previously stated, the easiest way to avoid a DUI is to refrain from drinking altogether. Taking public transit or sharing a trip can also be an effective solution. If you’ve had too much to drink, you could ride a bus. However, these operate on a schedule and may not make stops close to your home. This is why ridesharing is so popular. Services like Uber and Lyft are widely available late into the night. Don’t attempt to justify your decision by claiming that ridesharing is prohibitively expensive. A DUI conviction will set you back hundreds of dollars, so it’s better to pay less overall to get home safely.
We hope you have found our recap of the top tips to help you drive safely and avoid DUI situations to be useful. If you do end up receiving a DUI, though, know that you can clear up your driving record after a DUI.
