CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Some nuance this year to Triple A’s annual New Year’s Eve call not to drink and drive: Make your plan before you go out.

“That’s the big issue,” Triple A MidAtlantic’s Morgan Dean told Cville Right Now. “People drink throughout the evening and if they haven’t come up with a game plan, they sometimes try to make decisions when they’ve been drinking and they’re making poor decisions and that puts them on the roadway,” Dean noted.

December is recognized by Triple A and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, which serves as a timely reminder to make safe choices and stay vigilant.

For New Year’s Eve, Dean said, “That means planning for your evening ahead of time, even before you leave the house, even before you put your fancy outfit on, set up ride share, have a taxi cab ready to go, have a designated driver who is promising not to take part in the partying, as well as potentially staying at the location if you’re staying at a friend’s house.”

He said turn the keys over upon arrival at that location.

The reason is born out in the December numbers, Dean said.

“In the combined Decembers between 2019 and 2023, so five years of Decembers, 4931 road users were killed in traffic crashes involving an alcohol impaired driver,” Dean recited.

“In December 2023 alone, there were 1038 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities, and 697 of those involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .15 or higher, nearly twice the legal limit in almost every state.”

Short of the crash, Dean said getting caught is very costly.

“It can land you in jail, and additionally the average DUI costs $10,000 at the lowest in attorney’s fees, court costs, fines, lost time at work, higher insurance rates and more.”

Crashes in which alcohol was involved resulted in $57-billion in economic costs across the U.S.

In Virginia, Dean said 35% of all fatalities in the 2024 calendar year were in alcohol-related crashes.

Finally, Dean urged those throwing the party to be on the lookout for those who may be trying to leave when they’re had too much to drink.

Take care of the designated driver with mocktails, coffee, or other things, and check on others about their plans on getting home.

Taking care of the keys of the party attendees compels there being a discussion before someone tries to leave a party at the end of the night.