As in years past, Families around the world will gather with loved ones this holiday season to honor traditions, reflect on the challenges and successes of 2014, and look with jubilant hope toward 2015.

As we come together with Family and friends, let us keep in mind the sacrifices our military Families make to a grateful nation. Despite all the tragic events our great community has suffered, a fatality caused by drunk and drugged driving is one that can always be avoided and is hard to accept.

December is Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, also referred to as 3D Month. Communitywide participation is important to prevent drunk and drugged driving injuries and deaths. Every year, thousands of people die due to drinking or drugged driving.

Most people know that too much alcohol consumption causes drunk driving; however, drugged driving is still stigmatized with illegal drug use. The reality is that over the counter, or prescribed medicines, can also cause drugged driving.

Don’t drink or use drugs before getting behind the wheel of your vehicle or operating a motorcycle. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Texas leads the nation in drunk driving deaths with 1,213 fatalities in 2011. Impaired driving doesn’t begin when your blood-alcohol concentration reaches .08; it begins with the first drink.

According to a 2007 National Highway Transportation Safety Administration national roadside survey, more than 16 percent of weekend nighttime drivers tested positive for illegal, prescription or over-the-counter drugs. Illicit drugs accounted for more than 11 percent.

Drugged driving presents a deadly risk to everyone on the road. According to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, one in three drivers who were killed in a motor vehicle crash in 2010 with known test results tested positive for drugs, illicit substances and over-the-counter and prescription medications.

This holiday season, all of us must do our part to help each other stay safe. Every person is a role model to someone else; therefore, practice the following tips and it will make an impact in someone else’s life:

1. Don’t send mixed messages and be a good role model. If you have been drinking, don’t drive.

2. Be proactive and get a designated driver or bring enough money for a cab.

3. Make reservations/plans and spend the night.

We must take every precaution necessary to avoid drunk and drugged driving this holiday season. Let’s do everything we can to keep the Great Place a safe and healthy community.