Call a sober driver whenever you’ve come by car and had a drink, even a little. Also when you’re very tired or have taken medication that slows your reactions. Those are exactly the moments when people most often think “nothing will happen”.
Below are the typical situations, plus a few tips for sorting out the way home without any headaches.
1. After a supra, a birthday or a dinner
The most typical situation: you drove to a restaurant or a friend’s place for “just one glass”, and the evening went on. At a Georgian supra, that happens more often than not.
If you’re with the car and you’ve had a drink, just call. A driver will come to you and take you home in your own car.
2. A wedding, a christening, a big event
Here you can prepare in advance. You know the date, the place and roughly when it ends. It’s best to book a driver before the toasts begin.
We have a separate service for this: Wedding driver. If you’re the host, this article will help you plan how your guests get home.
3. A work party
The New Year party, a team birthday, the end of a project. You go straight from work, by car, and at the end of the night the car stays outside the office or the restaurant.
If you’re organising it, book drivers for your colleagues in advance. That way nobody has to go looking for their car in the morning.
4. When you’re very tired
Tiredness sometimes works like alcohol: your attention wanders and your reactions slow. After a night shift, a long flight or a sleepless night, driving is not safe at all.
Our driver will drive your car just the same whether you’ve been drinking or not. What matters is that a sober, rested person is at the wheel.
5. When you’ve taken medication
Georgia’s Law on Road Traffic (in Georgian) bans driving not only when drunk but also under the influence of medication that reduces reaction and attention.
Some sedatives, sleeping pills and allergy medicines work exactly like that. Read the leaflet. If it says to avoid driving, don’t drive.
6. The morning after a big night
Many people think sleep “burns off” alcohol. In reality alcohol leaves the blood quite slowly. Georgian law assumes an average rate of about 0.15 per mille per hour.
If you were drinking until 3 am, you could still be over the legal limit at 8 am. There’s more detail in this article.
7. Out of town, where you can’t leave the car
At a country house, in a village, at a restaurant outside the city: a taxi may not come, and you neither want to nor can leave the car. Out-of-town trips are arranged in advance; see our airport and out-of-town page.
When don’t you need a sober driver?
If you left the car at home, you don’t need a sober driver: a taxi will get you there. If someone in your group doesn’t drink at all and is driving, that’s a good solution too.
A sober driver is useful where those options don’t work: the car is with you and has to get home. For a comparison, see Sober driver or taxi.
How do I call one?
Call +995 597 333 200 and say where you are and where you’re going. The operator tells you the price and within about 2 minutes connects you with the nearest free driver. Our sober driver service works 24/7, including weekends and public holidays.