RIDE SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU

What you may not know is there are organizations available for a fee that will actually send two drivers to your requested pickup location. One driver drives you to your requested drop off location and the second driver follows you. This way, you don’t have to leave your car behind where it could be towed, stolen or vandalized. Nothing’s worse than lying in bed, spinning drunk and worrying about your car.

WHERE CAN I GET A SOBER RIDE

I recall years ago, the only organization that offered this service was Wingman Service. Now, there are many to choose from. Here’s a list (just to name a few) so you can make your own choice.
• SOFER’D is a team of drivers that drive their members and vehicles home safely. Members always get home safely and avoid leaving their vehicle unprotected. Again, this is a membership. You can become a member by downloading their app or go to SOFERD.com to become a member.
• Soberrides.org helps you make a plan with a list of resources and optional modes of transportation to get a sober ride home.
• AAA clubs around the country are offering free rides to folks who’ve celebrated too much to safely get behind the wheel. They’ll also tow your car home free of charge! Amazingly, this service is available even if you’re not an AAA member.

The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that the average drunk driver has driven drunk 80 times before their first arrest. Don’t be that guy! If you think your drinks were expensive, just wait til you get a d.w.i. Just like the clerk says to me all the time at Neiman Marcus “You can’t afford it!”

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

GETTING A SOBER RIDE HOME – Comedy Defensive Driving

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This effective nationwide drunk driving crackdown includes high-visibility enforcement, high-profile events, and has been supported by national paid advertising, creating a comprehensive campaign to curb drunk driving over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday. The Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign reduces drunk driving fatalities by as much as 20 percent.

Here are a few tips to help keep you and others safe from harm and free of getting strapped with a permanent DWI conviction on your driving record.

• Arrange a ride to and from your planned destination. A designated driver would be ideal.
• Try to discourage friends from driving impaired. Offer them a lift if needed.

So, be safe this evening. And have a terrific Saint Patrick’s Day!

Until next week…

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

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Tailgate parties are upon us, which means football season is here and that means there is only one proper way to tailgate. Nothing against football, and don’t be mad at me, but I’m just not that into football. I grew up in a house full of women. My dad spent most of his time at work (a.k.a. the pub) where he could hang out with other guys and watch sports. He was hardly ever home. While all of the other moms in our neighborhood would be threatening their kids “You just wait until your father gets home.” My mom would be threatening us “IF your father EVER comes home…whatever!” They were mostly empty threats, because when he did come home, “toasted” he’d give us money. Well, he didn’t really give us the money…he’d pass out and we’d take it out of his wallet. I called it my college fund. And, my dad was so proud of me when I graduated from college, he framed my diploma and hung it above the mantel. My sister dropped out of school, so, just to be fair, he framed her DWI Defensive Driving Certificate and hung it next to my diploma (crooked, because he drinks).

Although I am not an experience tailgater, I have done a little research on the proper way to tailgate. The Iowa State Food Safety website says you should always be careful what foods you pack and that you store them at the proper temperature to ensure they do not get contaminated or develop bacteria. Here are a few tips from their website:

Follow these simple steps to ensure food safety:

• Buy reasonable quantities
• If food won’t be served soon, store it in a cooler immediately
• When you get home, properly wrap and freeze deli meats that won’t be eaten within two to four days
• REMEMBER most food poisoning bacteria can NOT be seen, smelled, or tasted
• Bacteria multiply fastest between temperatures of 40 and 140; it’s what we call the Danger Zone
• If in doubt, throw it out! Keep hot foods HOT (above 140° F) and cold foods COLD (40° F or below)

The 21st Century Insurance company website offers these safety tips as well on the proper way to tailgate:

• If you’re grilling, make sure to bring a fire extinguisher
• After your tailgate is finished, throw away all food that may spoil. Leftovers may be tempting after the game, but they may also be dangerous
• If you’re using a charcoal grill, make sure to cool the coals properly before putting them in a garbage container or back in your car (unless you want to use them as a discipline tool)
• Make sure you can see properly and that there are no items in your way, such as bottles or cans before starting to drive
• Secure your grill and other items in the back so nothing can fall out
• If any guest have been drinking alcohol, make sure they don’t get behind the wheel

And, most of all, have fun. You won’t have another 3 day weekend until Columbus Day.

Until next week…Happy Labor Day!

Daun T
Writer / Comedienne / Artist

The Proper Way To Tailgate – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Labor Day has a whole new kind of meaning for those of us who have given birth. Why don’t they have a day for us? Oh, that’s right, they do. It’s called Mother’s Day. Or, “CPS Day” for some of us. Here’s a little nugget of knowledge to hang on to. Did you know that CPS will babysit for FREE! And, if you play your cards right, they will babysit for YEARS! But some of you mothers already know that. I am curious, why doesn’t Mothers Day ever come on a Monday? And why isn’t it a paid holiday, and a long week end? That way, mothers that slur can start celebrating at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and stay in the celebratory mode until late Monday evening?

Drinking on long week ends makes Labor Day travel even more of a risky venture. Not only are there drunk drivers on the roads but also hungover drivers with the brown bottle flu. Drivers with slow reflexes, anger issues and some with a death wish. Surely you’ll see some of them weaving and drifting their way back home. That has to be tough on the kiddos being towed behind the car in your boat. They thought it would be all fun and games. You thought it would be an excellent form of punishment. After all, you are the parent…the adult…the decision maker.

The American Red Cross offers tips for safe Labor Day travel. Be well rested and alert, use your seat belts, observe speed limits and follow the rules of the road. If you plan on drinking alcohol, designate a driver who won’t drink. The Red Cross also offers other tips for road trip safety.

• Give your full attention to the road. Avoid distractions such as cell phones.
• Don’t follow another vehicle too closely.
• Use caution in work zones.
• Make frequent stops.
• Clean your vehicle’s lights and windows to help you see, especially at night.
• Turn your headlights on as dusk approaches or during inclement weather.
• Don’t overdrive your headlights.

And remember, each state you travel through has its own traffic laws. In some states, you can’t take a right turn at a red light, nor a left turn at a red light onto a one way road from a one way road. You may also be required to have a license plate on both the back and the front of your car. Keep your insurance card handy. Use your signals no matter what, even if you’re in a designated turn lane. Never cross over a double solid line. And the 10% “cushion” over the speed limit doesn’t always apply. Police say the speed limit sign means what it says. It’s the “limit” and if you go over that limit, they could write you a ticket. Some states now require that you follow the officer to the local courthouse and pay your ticket in a deposit box before leaving their state. This economy has resulted in some sad, desperate measures.

Happy Labor Day travels from Comedy Defensive Driving to you and yours.

Daun Thompson
Writer / Comedienne / Artist / Idea Mogul

Labor Day Travel – Comedy Defensive Driving

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Until next week…cheers!

Daun Thompson

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