Roanoke – Ringing in the new year is a fun celebration but it can be dangerous.
AAA is urging New Year’s Eve party goers to plan the night out well in advance.
“Set up rideshare, plan out a cab or have a designated driver who is gonna commit to not drinking or taking part in Marijana for the evening, and that will be the important part is you getting home safely and doing all that ahead of time, recognizing how dangerous it can be,” Morgan Dean, AAA Mid-Atlantic Spokesperson said.
If you decide to make your way to a party or even hit the roads for other reasons, stay cautious of other drivers who may be impaired.
“The danger to those who are doing it all correctly and being safe is that there could be other impaired drivers on the roadway. The warning, if you see somebody and they seem to be impaired, have someone safely make a call to 911 and let police know about that. That person is a danger to every single person on the roadway and those around the roadway at that point,” Dean said.
One Lynchburg company, Bee Line Towing is taking the matter into their own hands and offering free rides from 11am-2am to people within a 20-mile radius of their office.
“Don’t want to either call a ride share, uber, or taxi and make sure that themselves and their car get home safe, so if we can do anything to prevent even one accident that day, we would love to see that happen,” Leah Jones, Bee Line Towing Spokesperson said.
Driving isn’t the only danger; AAA wants to warn you about on New Year’s Eve. You should even be aware while walking to and from parties.
“If they are impaired and walking, they may be in danger and putting themselves in dangerous situations as a pedestrian. Stepping out between vehicles into traffic, not paying attention at a crosswalk and stepping out before they are supposed to,” Dean said.
Don’t drink and drive and stay responsible while ringing in the new year. It could save yours and others lives.