Mayor of London promotes New Year’s Eve Safety

13/08/2007

Spending time with friends and family celebrating the end of a year and the beginning of a new one should be a fun and enjoyable experience. Many people have upsetting and unfortunate experiences at New Year’s Eve parties and events due to not following a few simple safety procedures. Here are a few tips from the Mayor of London.

Even though you may get hot dancing the night away it’s easy to get ill from not wrapping up. It is winter-time so keep warm with lots of layers. If you will be walking to and from a New Year’s Eve party, which is sometimes faster and easier, ensure you have sensible shoes on.

Know where you going, how you are going to get there and how you are going to get home, before you leave your house. Plan your journey and be aware of any changes to transportation on the night that will affect your travels to and from the New Year’s Eve party. It is also important, says the Mayor of London, to let family and friends who aren’t going with you know where you are going. It is easier and safer to leave with a group of people before you get into town. Meeting in town near a tube station or significant monument is unsuitable with a large group of people.

Every year the Mayor of London provides a spectacular fireworks display in the city. It is advisable to re-familiarise yourself with the plans for the fireworks display in case things have changed from the previous year. Have a look at the plan for the viewing area before arriving. The riverside viewing area can become full quickly and be closed so have a plan B before arriving.

Keep you valuables at home or well hidden as the fireworks event is a perfect place for pickpockets. Keep aware of the safety of yourself and others around you at all times and remember to keep all possessions with you as you move around. If you suspect anything unusual like an unattended bag or package then contact a Police Officer, Event Steward or a Transport for London staff member.

The Mayor of London has asked for responsibly drinking with all drinks consumed in cans or plastic bottles. Glass bottles are unsafe so leave these at home.

Lastly, you may want to wish all your friends and family Happy New Year via a text right after midnight. But, so will a few million other people. Be aware that mobile phone networks may be down because of the large volume of texts and calls.