No matter how you plan on celebrating this New Year's Eve - whether you're headed into Manhattan to watch the ball drop in Times Square, you're heading out to a local nightlife hot spot to dance the night away, or you'll be enjoying a laid back, low key evening at home with friends, personal safety should be a top priority. Following a few simple steps this holiday can ensure you stay safe while you celebrate, and get to and from your destination safely.
To help ensure you have a Happy & Safe New Year's Eve, we put together some simple tips to follow when enjoying your night on the town:
- Know Your Limits. Before you enjoy a single cocktail this New Year's Eve, make sure you stop, and make a mental note of how many drinks you'll be enjoying that night. New Year's Eve will be a lot more fun if you can enjoy yourself, and it's never fun for anyone when someone has too much to drink.
- Have a Designated Driver. If you're planning on going out on the town, make sure you have a designated driver. Drinking & Driving puts you, your friends, your family, and other drivers at risk, and there's always a better option than getting behind the wheel drunk.
- Travel in Numbers. Whether you're going into the City, or you're just heading into town, travelling in numbers will help ensure the safety of you and your friends. Make sure none of the members of your group wander off, and if you're heading to the restroom, or stepping outside for a cigarette, use the buddy system.
- Charge Your Phone Completely & Keep It on "Energy Saver" Mode All Night. Cell Phones are only useful if they're charged! Keeping your phone charged is an important safety measure - if you get separated from your group, you can give them a call, and if you're feeling uncomfortable, or you're ready to go home, you can call a cab.
- Watch What You Drink. If you leave your drink unattended, consider it garbage. Anyone could have tampered with it in your absence, and it's better to eat the cost and buy a new beverage, than risk drinking something that was tampered with.
-
Keep Local Taxi Numbers on Hand. Even if you have a designated driver, keeping the local Cab Company's phone number handy is a good idea - your designated driver could decide to drink, or, you could decide to call it a night a bit earlier than your pals. Either way, you're better safe than sorry!
Here are some of the local Cab Companies - be sure to program these numbers into your phone:- Late Night Chauffeurs, based in Great River: 631-601-7503
- Long Island Yellow Cab, Based in Farmingdale: 631-226-0600
- Farmingdale Taxi Service, Based in Farmingdale: 516-249-1212
- Sunset Taxi, based in Babylon: 631-669-4200
- All Island Taxi, with locations all over Nassau County: 516-379-9999
- LI Yellow Cab Corp, Based in Hicksville: 516-931-1111
This New Year's Eve, you can have a ton of fun AND stay safe by planning ahead, and following a few simple rules.
From all of us here at LongIsland.com - have a Happy, Healthy, and Safe New Year!
We'll see you in 2015!
Photo by Clinton Cardozo, via Free Images.