WORCESTER, Mass., Dec. 4,
2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Each holiday season about 1,200 people
across the United States will die
as a result of car crashes that involve drunk drivers. And many
thousands of others will be injured. Many of these accidents are
caused by drunk drivers leaving holiday gatherings hosted by
friends or family—turning holiday cheer into unimaginable
tragedies, in an instant.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120404/NE82147LOGO )
With that reality in mind, The Hanover Insurance Group offers
tips to encourage hosts to responsibly plan and hold holiday
parties. These tips are aimed at helping their guests to stay safe,
while also helping hosts to avoid potential personal liability.
"Drunk driving accidents are senseless and can easily be
prevented," said Mark Desrochers,
president of The Hanover's
personal lines business. "While many people spend days and even
weeks planning the perfect party, they don't give a second thought
to how their guests will arrive safely home or what they will do if
someone consumes too much alcohol and wants to drive." "While it
may seem awkward, asking an intoxicated guest not to drive could
prevent a tragedy," Desrochers said.
To help reduce the risk of alcohol-related driving accidents
this holiday season, or anytime you are hosting a party, The
Hanover recommends:
Planning the Holiday Party:
- Let your guests know ahead of time how you feel about drinking
and driving and their need to be responsible about their alcohol
consumption
- As guests RSVP, remind them of the importance of a non-drinking
designated driver
- Plan activities to engage your guests and to take the focus
away from drinking
- Provide plenty of high-protein foods, like cheese and meats, to
help slow the absorption of alcohol and to keep guests from
drinking on an empty stomach. Keep in mind that food does not
affect the pace alcohol leaves someone's system
- Avoid salty snacks like potato chips and pretzels that can
cause guests to drink more
- Offer unique, non-alcoholic beverages, or "mocktails," for
designated drivers and others who prefer not to drink alcohol
- If preparing an alcoholic punch, use a fruit juice instead of a
carbonated base, which speeds the absorption of alcohol into
the blood stream
- Have the number of a taxi service on hand for anyone who may
need a ride, or plan to drive any intoxicated partygoers home, or
if necessary make arrangements for them to stay the evening.
What to Do While Hosting the Party:
- Have fun, but stay in control. Remember you are responsible for
the safety of your guests, and in some cases, their actions when
they leave your party. Good hosts don't drink too much in order to
make sure guests do the same
- Never serve alcohol to someone under the legal drinking
age
- Keep alcohol in a central, visible place, where teen drivers
can't "sneak" a drink
- Never ask children to serve alcohol at parties
- Don't let guests mix their own drinks. Use a reliable "server"
who can track the size and number of drinks each guest
consumes
- If a guest is drinking too much, offer to refresh their drink
with a non-alcoholic version
- Close the bar 90 minutes before the end of the party; use the
rest of the party to serve coffee and dessert. Only time will sober
someone who has been drinking
- If guests drink too much, don't let them drive: drive them home
yourself (leaving another sober guest to fill-in as host while you
are gone), arrange for another guest or a taxi to take them home,
or invite them to stay over
Responsible holiday hosting helps to ensure that you and your
guest have fun celebrating, while also staying safe and avoiding
senseless tragedies. Additionally, having the right insurance
coverages for you and working with a professional independent agent
helps you to have the right type of protection. For example
umbrella liability insurance coverage offers protection in the
event a guest is injured at your party or causes an injury to
someone after they leave. To find an independent agent near you and
learn more about umbrella liability insurance, go to
www.hanover.com
About The Hanover
Founded in 1852, The Hanover
Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: THG) is proud to be celebrating 160
years of delivering on its promises to its agent partners and their
customers. The Hanover offers a
wide range of property and casualty products and services to
businesses, individuals, and families through a select group of
agents and brokers, and is ranked among the top 25 property and
casualty companies in the United
States.
Based in Worcester, Mass., The
Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. is the holding company for a group of
insurers that includes The Hanover Insurance Company, also based in
Worcester, Citizens Insurance
Company of America, headquartered in Howell, Michigan, Chaucer Holdings PLC, based
in London, and their affiliates.
Through Chaucer, the company underwrites business at Lloyd's of
London in several major insurance
and reinsurance classes, including property, marine and aviation,
energy, U.K. motor and casualty. For more information, please visit
www.hanover.com.
CONTACT:
Amy Banek
Media Relations
abanek@hanover.com
(508) 855-4486
SOURCE The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc.