Tips for Staying Safer This St. Patrick’s Day

March 1, 2022

Tips for Staying Safer This St. Patrick’s Day

March 1, 2022

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with OnStar.

Whether you’re celebrating or not, here are some tips for avoiding problems on the road

St. Patrick’s Day is an international celebration of Irish culture and heritage. However, some take the revelry a bit far, choosing to celebrate the day with drinking. When that’s combined with driving, the risks increase for everyone.

“Generally speaking, the risk for impaired driving can be higher on holidays,” says Jaymie-Lyne Hancock, national president of MADD Canada . “We emphasize the ‘sober driving’ message at all times of the year but even more so on holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day, when people are likely to be celebrating with alcohol.”

If you are hitting the road on St. Patrick’s Day, or if you’re planning on celebrating yourself, here are some tips to help you stay safe and protected against impaired drivers.

Make a plan

Hancock stresses that anyone intending to celebrate the holiday should make a plan in advance for how they’ll get home safely. “Whether that’s a ride-share, a taxi or some sort of public transit, or calling a sober family member or friend — those are all great options,” she says.

Meanwhile, if you’re staying sober but know you’re going to be driving on St. Patrick’s Day, consider adjusting your schedule to avoid driving in the evening and at night, when drunk driving crashes tend to spike.

If you’re walking or getting a ride, know you can use the OnStar Guardian™ app* to contact an OnStar Advisor in case of an emergency. You can also use the Location Status* feature within the Guardian app to share and view locations with up to seven family members* — perfect for making sure that loved ones have reached their destinations safely.

Identifying an impaired driver

While it’s not always possible to identify an impaired driver, you should be aware of some of the more notable signs, including:

Speeding or driving significantly under the speed limit
Erratically changing speed
Weaving from lane to lane or swerving within a lane
Failing to recognize or obey traffic signs
Driving without using proper lights or signals

Protect yourself

If you see erratic driving on the road, safely contact the authorities immediately. “Being able to report an impaired driver is so important. It can avoid crashes. It can save lives,” says Hancock. “If you can, give a good location of the vehicle, the direction the vehicle is headed, a description of it and even the license plate,” she adds.

Red or blue?

Check out our guide to which button to push, depending on the help you need.

Remember, an impaired driver can cause a crash at any time. Always buckle up and do not attempt to pass the vehicle or speed away. Instead, stay far behind the suspected drunk driver. “Don’t ever try to apprehend the driver yourself. Don’t get out of your car if it’s not safe,” says Hancock.

Notifying law enforcement is as easy as pushing your vehicle’s red Emergency button,* which provides you with a priority connection to a specially trained OnStar Emergency-Certified Advisor* who can contact police while you maintain a safe distance from the suspected impaired driver. Try to have information about the vehicle’s make, model, colour and license plate number ready for the Advisor. However, do not attempt to follow or approach the vehicle if you are lacking any details. While more information will help police, it is not worth the potential risk.

If you’re not in your vehicle and think you’ve spotted an impaired driver, you can still reach an Advisor through the Guardian app — just push the red Emergency button in the app to be connected.

A couple staying safe this St. Patrick's day with OnStar.

Beyond St. Patrick’s Day

While big drinking days like New Year’s Eve and St. Patrick’s Day tend to get a lot of coverage, it’s important to remember that impaired driving is a problem every day of the year. An estimated 612 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes in Canada in 2016, according to the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators . Taking steps to prepare yourself can help protect you if you ever encounter an impaired driver on the road.