The Citizen, 2010-12-23, Page 30PAGE 30. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2010.Celebrating leads to increased accident riskMS –Few times of the year aresimultaneously as festive anddangerous as the winter holiday
season. With the celebratory nature
of the holiday season often comes
the increased risk for accidents,
particularly on the nation’s
roadways, where impaired drivers
often take to the streets after over-
indulging at holiday parties.
For holiday hosts, the safety
concerns are two-fold. In addition to
protecting guests, hosts must also be
sure to protect themselves. The
nation’s host laws vary depending on
individual provinces, but hosts can
be held liable, both in criminal and
civil court, if their impaired guests
are allowed to drive home. While
everyone has the right to celebrate
come the holiday season, it’s
important for holiday hosts to be
extra cautious and always keep their
guests’ safety and security in mind.
When planning a holiday party, hosts
should consider the following tips to
ensure everyone has a fun time, and
a safe and sound one as well.
• Only invite close friends and
family. Though the spirit of the
season makes it tempting for hosts to
invite as many people as possible,
it’s best to only invite those closest
to you. Hosts should know how each
invitee acts and drinks in a social
environment and limit the guest list
to those friends and family members
who have proven they can handle a
drink or two without going
overboard.
• Invite guests who know one
another. Guests who know each
other well are less likely to rely on
alcohol to break the ice. Alcohol
lowers people’s inhibitions, making
them more comfortable in social
situations, particularly when they
might not know everyone at a given
event. But close-knit groups don’t
need such devices to loosen their
inhibitions, and are more likely to
drink responsibly as a result.
• Greet guests and take their car
keys at the door. It's always polite for
hosts to greet guests at the door. But
it’s even more necessary to do so at
holiday parties. When greeting,
hosts can gauge whether their guests
have gotten a head start on the
festivities and can also politely ask
guests to hand over their car keys.
Everyone’s goal is to have a fun and
safe time, so guests should be
willing to part with their keys at the
start of the party as opposed to after
the party begins, when it might be
more difficult to convince guests tohand over their keys.• Stay sober. Hosts are responsible
for their guests and their guests’
safety. Regardless of local host laws,
staying sober is the only way hosts
can accurately determine if a guest is
capable of driving or needs a ride
home. What’s more, hosts must stay
sober in the event a guest does need
a ride home.
• Feed the guests. Food should not
be a replacement for drinking
responsibly, but food does slow the
absorption of alcohol and helps fillguests up, making it less likelyguests will drink to excess.
• Make the party an active event.
Hosts should plan certain activities
or games to entertain their guests.
With nothing on the docket, guests
are more likely to spend idle time
drinking. Plan a gift exchange for
more intimate gatherings, or play fun
games that give guests something to
look forward to besides their next
drink.
• Have transportation readily
available at the end of the night. Forsmaller gatherings, hosts might beable to handle the designated driver
duties all by themselves. However,
for larger gatherings, have taxi
company phone numbers readily
available, and make it known toguests before the party begins,whether on the invitation or when
guests arrive, that no one is
driving home if the hosts don’t feel
it’s safe.
Bachert Meats Inc.
Walton 519-887-9328
This holiday season,
as you think on the
birth of
JESUS CHRIST,
may the gift of HIS
unending love be made
real to you.
Our warmest
thoughts are with you
on this holiday occasion,
along with our thanks
for your valued
business.
to our valued customers
We’d like to join you and your family, in singing His praises,
as we share the spirit of this holy season.
BORRMANN'S GARAGE
Cty. Rd. 12 (near Diesel Car Diner)
RR #1 Bluevale 519-335-3857
From everyone at the
Schimanski Family Funeral Home
Merry Christmas
and all the best in the New Year
from Frank, Jennie & Family
SCHIMANSKI FAMILY FUNERAL HOME
The Snow Tree
Tyler Cullen reads “The Snow Tree,” a story of how the
Christmas tree tradition was started in the animal
kingdom, while his classmates acted out the roles of wild
animals during Grey Central Public School’s Christmas
concert on Dec. 7. (Denny Scott photo)
At approximately 1 p.m. on
December 19 two vehicles were
involved in a collision on
Londesboro Road just west of Base
Line Road. A white, Ford pickup
truck, travelling eastbound, was
reported to have crossed the centre
line and sideswiped the second
involved vehicle, causing it to leave
the roadway and enter the ditch.
The pickup truck continued
eastbound after the collision. Based
on damage to the second vehicle, it
is believed the pickup truck would
have suffered front end damage on
the driver side.
Police believe the pickup truck
has a black grill and are looking to
speak to the driver, who is
described as a white male possibly
between 30-40 years of age.
Anyone with information about
the vehicle or driver is encouraged
to call the Huron OPP at 1-888-
310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-
800-222-TIPS (8477)
OPP seeks
white truck
that fled scene
Let the Christmas spirit
light up your home this
Holiday season.
Paul, Karen,
Amy, Levi, Sean, Ellen, Sarah & Rachel
Thank you for your patronage!
PAUL COOK ELECTRIC
519-357-1537