Its that time of year again when you are likely to find yourself in the situation of ferrying a party of merry revellers around in your role as a designated driver. Here are a few tips to help you survive the evening:
1. Study the weather forecast and traffic information before you leave and plan accordingly.
2. Pre-prepare a route, taking account of any pick-ups and drop-offs.
3. Take an up to date map in case you have to deviate at any time.
4. Take a note of where the nearest hospital Accident and Emergency is, just in case passenger inebriation later turns into something more serious.
5. Familiarise yourself with the vehicle if it’s not yours, particularly where the minor controls, like hazard and fog light switches, are and ensure it has enough fuel for the entire journey.
6. Take warm clothes if it’s cold – inebriated party-goers rarely feel the cold but you might have to hang around waiting for them!
7. If the vehicle could be iced up when you come to leave, ensure you have an ice scraper to hand. A credit card won’t do!
8. Check that the spare wheel is legal and inflated and that you have a means of fitting it. You don’t want to be stranded at two in the morning with a bunch of incoherent so-called friends who won’t be able to lift a finger to help.
9. Take a fully-charged mobile phone and take a note of the mobile number of all your passengers.
10. Take a note of everybody’s home addresses in case they’re not capable of telling you on the return journey.
11. Tell your passengers what time you intend to leave and that it’s not negotiable.
Make sure all passengers know where the vehicle is (and its reg. no.) for their return journey.
12. Carry sick bags, let the occupants know where they are and that these are the preferred remedy in emergencies!
13. Make sure that all passengers wear seat belts…if they aren’t capable of putting them on make it your job to do it for them.
14. If anybody is getting especially excitable in the vehicle, and could compromise your safe control of the vehicle, say that you will eject them and leave them stranded……and mean it!
15. If you have remote locking doors, use them. You don’t want drunken passengers trying to get out of the car on the move!
16. If you’re driving in the early hours you have to assume you’re the only designated driver out there and that everybody else is over the limit. Give everybody a wide berth and don’t assume they use their mirrors!
17. If it looks like a road rage incident is developing or someone is trying to race you, don’t get involved - when it’s safe to do so, let the other vehicle pass, or if you feel really threatened, head for a well lit, busy place, like a petrol forecourt.
18. If your route takes you through unlit rural areas be especially cautious about pedestrians who may not be entirely in control of their actions.
19. A car full of people is obviously going to attract the attention of the police, particularly when the traffic is light, so don’t be tempted to take a chance just because you’re as sober as a judge. Stick rigidly to the speed limits and keep lots of space between you and the vehicles around you.
20. If your excitable passengers are egging you on to do things you wouldn't normally do, stay calm and in control. Don’t step outside your comfort or capability zone. Remind them that you’re the one who is responsible for their welfare. Be thick skinned and remember the motivation for volunteering in the first place!
Thanks to AA DriveTech for this advice. AA DriveTech provides 35 different driver education programmes for offenders on behalf of 14 police forces and annually re-trains over 23,000 employees of various organisations who drive for work purposes. In total over the past two years well over 300,000 UK drivers have attended some form of DriveTech course.
For more about AA DriveTech, visit http://www.drivetech.co.uk or link to the site from our Dynamic Vehicle Solutions site which can be found at http://www.dynamicvehiclesolutions.co.uk/
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