Be a Responsible Host

If you’re a host, you want to make sure all your guest arrive back home safely. That means taking measures to prevent them from driving after they’ve been drinking.

Having a plan helps you prevent problems (or at least handle them in the least unpleasant way) and hopefully enjoy your own party. The Canada Safety Council recommends that party hosts monitor the service and consumption of alcohol, and offers the following practical advice:

1. Either don’t drink or limit your own consumption of alcohol so you can be aware of how much your guests are drinking.

2. Know your guests – it is much easier to track the changes in behaviour of those you know. Inviting strangers increases risk.

3. Monitor and supervise the serving of alcohol. Designate non-drinkers to do this. A “bartender” should control the size and number of drinks.

4. Keep the focus off alcohol. Serve lots of food that has protein and fat – salt encourages more drinking and sugar does not mix well with alcohol. Have plenty of non-alcoholic choices. For drinks, offer non-alcoholic choices.

5. See guests in and out. Greet all guests on arrival and departure, taking the opportunity to assess their condition.

6. If a guest is drunk, encourage him or her to give you their car keys. Buddy up with a friend to persuade the intoxicated person to take a cab.

7. Keep the phone numbers of cab companies handy and tell the guest that a cab has been ordered. Don’t give the option to refuse.

8. If the guest is very drunk, keep that person with you until they have sobered or can be left with a sober responsible person.

9. Only time will sober the person, not more fluids or food. Offering a spare bed is a good recourse.

10. If the person refuses to hand over the car keys or spend the night at your house, call the police. It may seem drastic, but it could be a choice of an upset friend or far more tragic consequences.

The Canada Safety Council also recommends that before you decide to hold a social event in your home, you should check your insurance to ensure it covers any incident that may occur on (or as a result of actions on) your property.

In 2003, road crashes involving a drinking drivers killed 902 people. Of these, half (450) were drivers who were legally impaired. Fatalities in 2003 were 30 percent lower than 1995,while the number of licensed drivers increased by 11 percent.

The fact fewer Canadians are being killed in crashes involving alcohol is encouraging. Nonetheless, drunk driving still causes far too many tragedies on our roads. The chronic offender is the biggest challenge to further progress.