When you go out with your friends on a Friday night, you may want to have a good time and forget about limits. Yet if you were the one who drove, you lack of discretion could end up costing you a DUI charge. If you drink above the national BAC limit and get back in your car to drive a home, being caught by a police officer could land you in prison. You must drink until you have a BAC over 0.08 percent in order to be charged with a DUI, unless you are a minor. If you are not 21 yet, then even a mere 0.01 percent is considered too much alcohol, and you can lose your license in a juvenile DUI. You can also be busted for a 0.04 percent DUI if you are driving a commercial vehicle.

Instead of getting behind the wheel and hoping you won’t get caught, you should figure out other arrangements for a ride home from the bar or restaurant. In Washington D.C. and surrounding areas, people can hire SoberRide to get them home safe if they drank too much. This service provides free taxi rides to people who aren’t sober enough to drive. The taxi service will cover a ride that costs up to $30 for free. Anything above this service must be paid for by the customer. The individuals must be at least 21 to use the service, and it only operates from 10 p.m. at night until 6 a.m. every morning. The SoberRide taxis also service most of Virginia and Maryland.

If SoberRide doesn’t operate in your area, you can probably call a taxi cab to come pick you up and take you home from the bar. You can also call a friend or family member to pick you up so that you won’t end up in a dangerous driving situation. There is always the choice to designate a driver as well. Maybe you should bring a friend to the bar that doesn’t drink alcohol or is currently unable to do so for some reason. Then, you can be sure that this driver won’t accidentally go over his or her limit. You can also take a bus if you are near a bus stop, or you can hop on a train if one runs near your home.

Garner Fructis has a creative way to get home from the bar at night: call and order a pizza to be delivered to the bar. When it arrives, mention that his next pizza is going to your house, and that you were wondering if you could hitch a ride. Then, if the pizza delivery boy doesn’t mind, you can hop in the car and get a ride back home safe. No matter how crazy or creative you get, it’s always important to get home safe after a late night drinking alcohol. Make sure that you make arrangements before you head out for the night. Have your phone fully charged in case you need to change your plan to drive home. Most importantly, never risk driving home when you are intoxicated.

Even if you figure that it is only once and you won’t get caught, it’s still not worth the risk. You could be disoriented and crash into innocent drivers on the road, bringing on charges like DUI manslaughter if someone were to die in the accident. Even if you don’t crash, your swerving might notify police that you are intoxicated and you might get pulled over and subsequently taken to jail. If you have been convicted of a DUI, then you need to talk to a DUI lawyer right away for defense.