As if the roads weren’t dangerous enough since the population continues to grow, streets become more crowded and more drivers than ever are under the influence of some form of medication, news hit recently saying that nearly one-fifth of drinkers admitted to driving a car when they were near or over the legal limit for blood-alcohol level.

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), their surveys showed an average of about 15 percent of drinkers admitted to driving near or over the limit combined in the past two years. Unfortunately many thousands of lives are lost each year due to alcohol-related traffic fatalities. These tragically preventable deaths continue to occur despite raising drinking ages, lowering BAC limits and increasing penalties for drunk driving.

The Holiday Season (Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day) is the most-traveled time of the year, and AAA estimates that about 95 million Americans will be traveling by cars to have celebrations with friends and family.

Please take precautions if your celebrations involve alcohol. Don’t let your loved ones drive drunk. You may not only save their lives, but also the lives of others on the road.