Excuses never work!
As written for Not Your Child Corp.
Without polling the entire population, I’m certain there’s a high majority of people who have made up excuses every now and then as to why they did something which, in many eyes, was not ideal. We do this as excuses often placed the blame on something or someone other than you. The excuses gave you “permission” that it was okay to have done your deed. Deep down, you know what you’re saying is not true, so why do it?
It’s often the case after drinking alcohol beverages that many people will make excuses as to why it’s okay to get into the vehicle and drive. You kind of wonder if they actually believe their own excuses. You may have heard or even used the following:
“I’ve only had two drinks” Alcohol does affect people differently and two drinks may make you more intoxicated to make good driving choices. Never, ever guess at your BAC.
“I don’t have to go far” Most impaired driving collisions occur within just a short distance from the driver’s home.
“If I take the back roads no one will see me” There are more obstacles to avoid and likely more turns to navigate on back roads. They’ll see you after you crash into something or someone.
“I have no other way to get home” Wrong. Calling family or a friend, Uber or taxi, designated driver are all solid ways to get home without you behind the wheel.
“I have no money to take an Uber or taxi” Think impaired driving charges are cheap? Consider the costs escalating to cost thousands of dollars, plus a criminal record.
“I drive more carefully when I’ve been drinking” This couldn’t be more wrong. Many studies confirm reaction times and depth perception are affected immediately after even one drink.
“I’m fine to drive” Wrong. This is probably the worst excuse as it’s the impaired individual attempting to make a logical decision.
Avoiding driving after drinking is always the best choice to make. There may be a time you may need to drive but you need to make that choice when the time is right. Speaking of time, time is the only “quick remedy” for you to know you may be able to drive, but that’s not the only point to consider. How do you know you’ve waited long enough? Using a single-use breathalyzer from Not Your Child Corp can give you needed the up-to-date information to know if you’re capable of driving sober. The breathalyzer shows you the range you are in and whether you should operate a vehicle or not.
So, instead of making excuses as to why it’s okay to get behind the wheel of the vehicle and drive home, provide solid reasons why you want to avoid driving after drinking. These could be “I want to avoid hurting myself or anyone else”, “I don’t want a criminal record”, “I would rather pay for a safe and sober ride home than for a lawyer” and “I would rather pay the small cost of using breathalyzers from Not Your Child Corp so I know when I am and am not capable of legally driving sober”. My preference is to provide solid reasons instead of excuses. How about you?