New Year’s Eve a busy night for revelers

December 31, 2015 5:41 pm

By: Rebecca Turco

Email: rturco@abc6.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – New Year’s Eve is one of the busiest nights of the year for drunk driving.

Rhode Island State Police are out in droves, like they are every year, in an effort to keep the roads safe.

“It’s heartbreaking for us when we have to cut somebody out of a car,” explained Paul Doughty, head of the Providence Firefighters’ Union. From that devastation came an idea: Safe Night, where off-duty firefighters give city residents free rides home from local bars and restaurants.

“We encourage everyone to come up with a plan, whether it is a designated driver or utilizing our Safe Night services,” Doughty added.

New Year’s Eve is understandably one of the busiest holidays of the year for area bars. “It’s a big drinking night, it’s a big gathering night,” said David Livesey, general manager of Snookers in Providence. “Everybody likes to go out and have fun and celebrate.”

Bartenders there pour between 600 and 700 drinks on New Year’s Eve, a night where consumers may not be counting how many drinks they have. “A lot of people don’t realize that .08 is a really low level,” explained Livesey. “When you start to feel a buzz, you’re already past that level, so people have to be careful.”

Most bars in Providence are open extended hours for the holiday, until 3 a.m.

To take advantage of Safe Night services, just call 401-272-7999.