The safest decision about driving happens before the first drink, not at the end of the night. When you plan how you’ll get home in advance, you remove the risk—and the pressure—of deciding whether to drive after drinking.
Why planning ahead matters
Alcohol can affect your judgement and reaction time even when you feel “okay,” which makes it easier to underestimate how impaired you are and overestimate your ability to drive safely. At the end of a night out, you might feel tired, emotional, or in a hurry to get home—none of which helps you make careful decisions. That’s why health and road safety experts agree there is no safe level of drinking if you plan to drive; the only safe option is not to drive at all once you’ve been drinking.
By planning your travel before you start drinking, you make your decision while you’re clear‑headed and in control. This reduces the chance of “just this once” thinking later, when alcohol has already started to affect your brain. It also makes the night more relaxed, because you and your friends know how everyone is getting home from the start.
How to make a safe travel plan
A good travel plan is simple, realistic, and agreed before anyone orders a drink.
- Choose your way home first: public transport, rideshare, taxi, walking (if it’s safe and nearby), or staying over.
- If someone in your group is happy not to drink at all, nominate them as the sober driver and agree that they will stay alcohol‑free all night.
- Check train, bus, or light rail timetables and last services so you’re not tempted to drive if services have finished.
- If you’re going somewhere out of the way, talk in advance about staying overnight or arranging a lift from a family member who will remain sober.
- Share the plan in your group chat so everyone knows the expectation: no one drives after drinking.
Thinking through these details ahead of time means you’re not relying on spur‑of‑the‑moment ideas at closing time.
A simple plan you can use tonight
You can adapt this basic plan for almost any night out:
- Before you leave home, decide: “I will not drive at all if I drink tonight.”
- Leave your car at home and choose how you’ll get to the venue (public transport, taxi, or rideshare).
- Check how you’ll get home (last train/bus times or estimated rideshare fare) and save the details in your phone.
- Tell at least one friend what your travel plan is so they can help you stick to it.
- If plans change during the night, update your travel plan—but keep the same rule: no driving after drinking.
Planning ahead takes only a few minutes before you go out, but it can be the difference between getting home safely and taking a risk you never intended to take.
