It’s your day and you want to make certain that all your guests get home safely.
John Lyons Photography, Chatham, Ontario- will travel
If you booked the venue for your reception, you also share the legal status of the host. If one of your guests has an accident on the way home due to alcohol impairment, there will be problems for everyone involved.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that you can prevent impaired driving from becoming an issue. We have heard about weddings where the bride and groom, while making their speeches, informed the invited guests to take a taxi home at their expense. It seems generous, but they really cared about their good friends and family.
Friendship is also a two-way street. People don’t want to mar your wedding by arguing over the car keys. If you let them how much you care, most of them will do their part and mitigate any potential alcohol problems .
The trends are in your favour. Today, everybody knows what a designated driver is. A lot of couples take turns driving sober. Advance arrangements make for the best plans. And people arrive home safely.
Most of your guests will think ahead; they’ll plan to be picked up by a taxi or make other arrangements to keep themselves and others safe.
Still, every year traffic statistics are the same; people cause more than their share of crashes.
Help your friends so that they don’t become a statistic. Before your toasts begin, have the toast master raise the subject of safe rides home. Express appreciation to those already designated to drive sober. A gentle reminder shows how much you care.
For something like the safety of your friends and family, it’s never too late to ask the question, “who’s driving?”
