Tampa Bay New Year’s Eve 2021: Safety and What’s Next

September 28, 2023 | By Hancock Injury Attorney
Tampa Bay New Year’s Eve 2021: Safety and What’s Next

A new decade is FINALLY days away! While many might be celebrating at home this year, with enhanced safety precautions and even virtual events there are many ways you can ring in the new year safely in and around Tampa Bay. Many people opt for being on the water, with one of the most anticipated events being the firework display on the Hillsborough River. All areas along this great outdoor option will be limited to 50% capacity and all COVID-19 safety precautions will be taken. There will also be 18 satellite bars along the Riverwalk. Armature Works and some other venues along the river are selling a limited amount of VIP tickets to their NYE events. Learn more about your options here!

New Year’s Eve 2021 Is A Long Holiday:

What comes to issue is getting to where you’re going and getting home safely without an encounter with a drunk driver. Expect plenty of people who have been consuming alcohol, drugs or a combination of the two to be on the road the night of December 31, during the morning of January 1 to the evening of January 3, 2021. It’s likely that you’ll be driving during that period of time, so you need to maintain awareness about drunk drivers when you’re on the road. Stay far away from drivers who might show the following signs of intoxication:

  • Swerving into other lanes of traffic, weaving in their own lane of traffic or onto the road’s shoulder.
  • Not using their headlights at night.
  • Speeding or even driving too slowly.
  • Making short stops or rolling stops.
  • Disobeying traffic signals.

The Risks:

As per the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, a couple of drinks over a couple of hours are going to affect a person’s ability to drive safely. Alcohol can impair your judgement and affect your vision and reaction time significantly. Given the risks of law enforcement and possibly causing permanent harm to somebody else, it just isn’t wise to consume alcohol and then drive at any time, especially over the holidays.

Getting Around Town On New Year’s Eve 2021:

It’s likely that more than enough drivers for transportation network services like Uber and Lyft will be available over the New Year’s Eve holiday in Tampa and the weekend following. If you’re not a customer, it’s easy to become one. Just download the app on your smartphone, and enter a credit or debit card number, and you’re a customer. Their services are actually cheaper and more convenient than taxis.

After A Car Accident:

Even if you do things the right way and don’t drive over the holiday celebration, you can still be injured in an accident at the hands of a drunk driver. If that happens, call 911 immediately. Don’t get talked out of that under any circumstances. Police and paramedics be dispatched to the scene. Police will investigate the circumstances surrounding the accident, take the drunk driver into custody and write up their report at the station. The paramedics will stabilize your condition and transport you to an emergency room for examination and treatment. Follow all discharge instructions.

Don’t give any type of a statement to the opposing insurer; they will likely only try to devalue your claim by using your own words against you in the future. Instead, contact our Tampa car accident lawyers to arrange for a free consultation and case review. We’ll answer all of your questions and advise you of all of your legal options.

We hope you and your family have weathered the storm of 2020. We also wish you a happy New Year. Be safe, and best wishes for a much better 2021.