#1 Tip: Plan ahead to get home safely

SALT LAKE CITY— The Salt Lake City Police Department wishes Salt Lake residents and visitors a happy New Year and provides the following tips for a safe celebration:

• Plan ahead. Make sure you have a safe way home before celebrating.

• If you observe a drunk driver, don’t hesitate – call 911.

• If you see someone about to drive drunk, try to assist them by making other arrangements.

• If you go out to celebrate, designate an alcohol-free driver.

For those who will be including alcohol in their New Year’s Eve celebrations, it is prudent to plan now to avoid a potentially tragic situation or a costly citation. Otherwise, you could be seeing police emergency lights in your rear-view mirror, you will go to jail, your car impounded, and a citation issued that could cost you thousands of dollars — not to mention the loss of your driving privileges.

The police department will be adding officers to its normal weekend staffing in order to handle any increase in impaired driving due to the holiday.

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