Drunk driving is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. This is an ugly way to get into an accident on the road. Accidents when it happens, always result in dangerous outcomes which could be fatal when lives are involved.
All the time, Safety practice involves engaging in a task where there is minimal risk of harm to personnel and damage to equipment. But drunk driving increases this risk and exposes persons and equipment to harm and damage respectively.
And for this, drinking and driving have to be a no-no for anyone. However, if you notice that your friends want to get behind the wheel after drinking too much alcohol, below are the things you need to do to prevent them from driving
#1.Speak up.
You may actually be tempted not to speak about this when you have great respect for such a friend and you don’t want to get the friend annoyed, but in the real sense, you’re saving your friend when you speak up. Please speak up and don’t be afraid in doing so.
#2.Tell them you care.
It’s good to tell your friend that you care for them and that you can’t afford to lose them in a car accident. Expressing this concern will help to prevent them from driving drunk.
#3. Call two or more people.
Get two or more of your friends involved to help out in this event. They will join to speak to your friend to desist from driving drunk. Sometimes, it’s harder to say no to several people. If he agrees, most likely he may desist from driving drunk at that moment.
#4. Get the Car Keys.
Collect the car keys from your friend at that moment. This will at least prevent driving access to the car while giving you consideration time to fashion out the next action to take. Having the keys in your hand gives you some level of leverage when dealing with a drunk friend.
#5. Don’t be confrontational.
Being confrontational can hinder you from achieving your goal of making your friend desist from driving at the moment. If you’re confrontational, your friend may likely go defensive or get angry in the process. While at that, you can suggest a different transportation means. If you’re driving yourself, you can offer a ride or encourage your friend to sleep over at your end until the alcohol subsides in the body.
#6. Offer to drive before drinking.
Before your friend engages in Alcohol, offer to drive them to in case they get too drunk. This will give a good ground to show you care for them and that you’ll prevent them from harm.
#7. Get to call the Police.
If you do all other options and you feel the situation still remains, and your friend insists to drive under the influence of alcohol, you can call the police or any of the responsible agencies to come in. This may not be the ideal thing to do but when life is involved, nothing that is done to preserve life is ever enough.
A final note on drunk driving.
Saving your friend from drunk driving will be a good one for you. It starts from what you do before the drinking episode such as offering a hand as a leader to drive them in case they drink too much. For me, simply doing this is never enough. Taking it further by doing all the above-listed points will help to keep them away from drunk driving and equally prevent harm.
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Onyeka Emma is a QHSE Professional with more than 10 years of experience in occupational health and safety, which spans many industries such as construction, beverage, oil and gas, etc. He has many health and safety certifications, including NEBOSH IGC, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 Lead auditor certificate. A member of IOSH, ISPON, and Nigeria Red Cross Society. He is interested in business, entrepreneurship, Speaking, and motivating people to do better for themselves. He enjoys leisure with a good motivational book.
