Authorities including the Los Angeles Police Department, the L.A. Fire Department and others offered tips on Friday for driving over the New Year’s weekend, with hopes people won’t end up with a totaled car, or worse.
- Do not drink and drive
- Don’t use marijuana and drive
- Abstain from using prescription medications like sleep aids, tranquilizers, barbiturates, opiates and other pain killers or anti-depressants
- Be careful taking over-the-counter allergy and cough medications as it can lead to DUI arrest
- Take public transit
- Ride in an Uber or Lyft
- Travel in a taxi
- Have a designated driver take you home
- Don’t leave your drink–alcoholic or otherwise–unattended or someone could spike the beverage
- Be careful with a Champaign bottle–don’t point it toward people–as the cork can prematurely shoot off and cause painful or permanent injuries to the eyes
- Place a towel over the Champaign bottle cork when pulling it off to prevent it from striking someone and chill the beverage to 45 degrees or colder as a warm bottle can make the cork pop unexpectedly
- If you see a driver who appears to be impaired, dial 9-1-1
- Plan a safe ride home before parties begin
- In 2016, over a 24-hour time period that included midnight into New Year’s Day, there was a total of 1,575 “emergency incidents” in Los Angeles compared to just 1,326 incidents the following day. Be careful when driving during the holiday weekend.
- Alcohol is the “base drug” in fatal DUI accidents even in deadly crashes where combinations of drugs such as marijuana, meth, heroin are used.
Valley Traffic Division Det. Bill Bustos explains how #LAPD will be out on New Years weekend. He’s standing next to a car in a May fatal DUI pic.twitter.com/lfBaDv06MH
— Wes Woods II (@JournoWes) December 29, 2017
Source: Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Fire Department, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, California Office of Traffic Safety, California Highway Patrol
Gustavo Valdivia of #LACounty Coroner explains coroner’s van–sheets are used not body bags–during New Years weekend news advisory today pic.twitter.com/Rrof73knAx
— Wes Woods II (@JournoWes) December 29, 2017
Some images from news advisory for New Year’s weekend DUI prevention in #PanoramaCity this morning pic.twitter.com/KwQsxcUeXi
— Wes Woods II (@JournoWes) December 29, 2017
