During the Holidays, people are out eating, drinking, and spending time with their friends and family.  It is important to know what to do to avoid drinking and driving during the holidays.  The Law Office of Leigh Ann Bauer put together three tips to help you avoid getting a DUI this holiday season.  

1. Plan ahead

If you plan to attend a holiday gathering (I hope you do, because they can be a lot of fun) over the next few weeks, you need to know in advance of the festivities how you are going to get home safely once the celebration ends.  You should have a designated sober driver, or plan to use public transportation such as an Uber or Lyft driver.  Better yet, ride share with a sober driver friend.  Designated drivers should commit to being sober to keep friends and family safe.  If you are hosting a small gathering, you should ensure that you have everything you need to prevent running errands after drinking. I have defended many DUI cases where the client was driving a short distance to the quick mart to pick up a pack of cigarettes.  

    2.  Track your BAC level

You must be under the legal blood content (BAC) limit to make sure you are permitted to drive.  Although you can still be arrested for DUI/OUI even if you are under the BAC limit (especially if you caused a collision), you should track your BAC level.  There are BAC calculation hand-held blowers that you can purchase off of Amazon.  Surprisingly enough, they are fairly accurate if used properly.  It would be a great investment to purchase one and use the devise before you ever get behind the wheel.  While these hand-held blowers are not infallible (a good example would be a rising blood alcohol level), they can help you estimate your BAC level so you can determine if you are safe to drive, but these calculators are not 100% accurate.

     3.   Stick to "two beers"

If you drink, stick to a plan in advance.  For example, two bottles of beer over the course of an evening paired with food should be a good rule of thumb while enjoying the festivities.  Make it a strict plan and do not depart from it.  Be very careful of mixed drinks because they can contain more alcohol than expected.  For example, always avoid Redbull and Vodka drinks.  This particular beverage is so sweet it can mask the alcohol and may make it difficult to track alcohol consumption.   If you are hosting a small gathering, you can come up with other non-alcoholic drinking options to replace alcohol altogether.