Eat, drink and be merry. The holidays are a time for gathering with old friends and family members, enjoying the annual holiday party and seeing the streets decorated with Christmas lights.

Drinking alcoholic beverages is an accepted – even encouraged – practice during holiday gatherings. Statistics show that the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve accounts for some of the highest incidences of binge drinking each year.

Unfortunately, far too many make the mistake of driving after having too much to drink during the holidays. That’s why December is National Drunk & Drugged Driving Prevention Month.

While drunk driving is a huge problem on our roadways every day, it’s especially prevalent during the holidays. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “During the New Year’s and Christmas periods in 2018, there were 285 drunk-driving-related fatalities.†Tens of thousands more are injured in these accidents. Many more impaired drivers are arrested before causing accidents that could result in death or damage to vehicles or property.

If the toll on human life isn’t enough to deter you from getting behind the wheel when you’ve had too much to drink, consider the financial ramifications.

New Jersey drivers with a DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) pay 100 percent more for car insurance than drivers without a DWI, on average, according to WalletHub. Drivers with a DWI/DUI on their record are considered by insurance companies to be high-risk drivers. In addition to increasing insurance costs or even being dropped by your insurance carrier, New Jersey drivers with a DUI/DWI face stiff fines, jail time, attorney fees, court costs, lost time from work, community service, restitution fines, and other criminal charges.

For all these reasons, Glenn Insurance has been a longtime supporter of the South Jersey-based John R. Elliott HERO Campaign, a non-profit dedicated to preventing drunk driving deaths by promoting the use of responsible designated drivers. If you plan to drink alcoholic beverages during this holiday season, a designated driver, taxi, or ride-sharing service should also be a part of your plans. By doing so, you could be saving someone’s life and a mountain of expenses and legal trouble. When it comes to drinking or impaired driving, no one can afford it.

Glenn Insurance wants you and your loved ones to be safe and enjoy your holiday season with loved ones. Visit us on the web at GlennInsurance.com.