The best protection is prevention: choose a safe ride plan this holiday season

December 09, 2025, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

During the holiday season, social events, family visits, and late-night celebrations put more cars on the road at peak times.
As a personal injury attorney who has represented many crash victims, we’ve seen how quickly impaired driving can alter lives. This post explains how alcohol and cannabis affect driving and why, in this season of gatherings and errands, you should have a clear plan to get home safely. A thoughtful plan reduces crash risk, protects you and others, and minimizes the chances you’ll need legal help after a collision.

Alcohol impairment harms several core driving skills. Even modest drinking can dull judgment, slow reaction time, and weaken coordination. Vision can blur, attention to the road narrows, and the ability to track moving objects deteriorates. Importantly, impairment often begins well before the legal limit, and it can linger after the last drink, especially when fatigue or mixed drinks are involved. While many jurisdictions establish per se limits (for example, 0.08% BAC for typical drivers), liability and safety are not bound by a number; impairment can occur at levels that still feel controllable to the drinker.

Cannabis presents a parallel but distinct set of driving risks. THC can slow reaction time, impair motor coordination, and reduce vigilance for hazards. It may distort speed perception and lane position, and its effects can last longer for some users, particularly with edibles. Potency, method of use, and individual tolerance all influence impairment duration. Unlike alcohol, impairment thresholds for cannabis vary by jurisdiction, and some places rely on behavioral tests rather than fixed limits. When cannabis is used with alcohol, effects can be synergistic, producing greater impairment than either substance alone and markedly increasing crash risk.

The holidays amplify risk, but you can reduce it with a practical safety plan. Consider these steps:

• Designate a sober driver before you start celebrating, or book a rideshare or taxi in advance.
• If you’ve consumed cannabis or alcohol, don’t drive. Arrange an alternative ride home or an overnight stay.
• Create a simple “safe ride” plan: know who will pick up or drive a friend who can’t drive.
• Save emergency numbers and local transportation options in your phone, including nearby hotels if an overnight stay is prudent.
• If you’re hosting, encourage guests to arrange transportation and monitor alcohol and cannabis use among attendees.

A straightforward plan helps you avoid impulsive decisions driven by fatigue, peer pressure, or optimism about one’s own impairment.

If a crash occurs, safety and medical care come first. Document the scene, exchange information, and preserve evidence such as the police report and witness contacts. As a personal injury lawyers, we help clients pursue fair compensation for medical expenses, missed wages, and pain and suffering when an impaired driver causes harm.

The best protection is prevention: choose a safe ride plan this holiday season and encourage others to do the same. If you or a loved one has been injured, contact us for a no-cost consultation to discuss your rights and options.

About Deutschmann de Koning Law

Deutschmann de Koning Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann and Nick de Koning focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.ddinjurylaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.