Full Notification

There's no better way to ring in the New Year than gathering with friends for a night of festivities, but be sure to take steps to keep your party safe. After all, you want your friends to be with you for many New Year's Eves to come.

Alcohol plays a major role in most New Year's Eve tragedies. New Years is the Holiday with the highest number of traffic fatalities due to alcohol impaired drivers! If you will be serving or consuming alcohol, here are some tips to keep your guests safe, and alcohol consumption under control.

-Recruit a few guests to act as designated drivers. Contact them before the night of the party so they are prepared to avoid alcohol during the celebrations.
-Collect the car keys of your guests, and keep them in a jar or bucket near the front door. Drivers must be sober before they can collect their keys to drive home.
-Plan entertainment for the evening. Games such as charades, board games or party guessing games are a great way to have fun. Dancing and good music make for a wonderful night. Keep your guests busy with more than just drinking.
-Have plenty of food on hand, and make sure platters of hors d'oeuvres are kept fresh. Foods with protein, such as meats and cheese, help buffer the effects of alcohol. Provide non-alcoholic beverages and plenty of water.
-If one of your guests appears to be drinking heavily, encourage them to slow down and switch to soda or punch instead.
-Stop serving alcoholic drinks at least an hour before your party's end. Switch to coffee, water or fruit juices.
-If a guest is too intoxicated to drive home, and there is no designated driver available, call a cab or have your friend spend the night. Do not let them talk you into giving them their car keys. It is better to have a friend temporarily angry with you than injured or worse in an accident.

Need a FREE ride home?

The auto club will be offering its annual alternative, a free "tipsy tow" service, from 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve to 6 a.m. on New Year's Day. The service is meant to get the driver and the car home safely, but there are limits: no passengers, the tow can't be for more than seven miles, and it's a one-time, one-way ride home.

The number is 1-800-400-4AAA.

The Orange County Transportation Authority also will offer free bus rides from 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve until 2:30 a.m. on New Year's Day. Not all buses run until 2:30 a.m., though, so check your route before you go.

Go to octa.net or call 714-636-7433 for more information and to check bus routes and schedules.

The Tustin Police Department wishes you all a safe and Happy New Year!