With New Years Eve upon us, unfortunately so is the number of people who drink and drive. Drunk driving is the nation's most frequently committed violent crime, killing someone every 30 minutes.

The holiday period between thanksgiving and New Year's Eve is one of busiest times on the nation's roads, with a high incidence of alcohol-related traffic fatalities. Public information officer Ashley Younger says, "There's more alcohol consumption during this time of year and we want to just get the word out to lower the crash fatalities that happen this time of year."

Physician Larry Hobbs says that alcohol is a drug and one of the primary consequences of alcohol, which is the most dangerous in terms of drinking and driving, is its effects on the central nervous system.

"Drinking and driving is a frequent event we see in the emergency room especially with severe accidents and others injured by a drunk driver."

Ashley also says that the lack of appropriate response is what puts everyone on the roads in imminent danger when a person who has had too much to drink gets behind the wheel. "There was 145 fatalities last year total, just in Lee County."

But it doesn't have to happen. Have a designated driver, call a cab, do whatever it takes to avoid driving after drinking. It could save someone's life, including your own.

Any adult who needs a ride home from bars or restaurants this holiday season can simply call 1-800-AAA-HELP. AAA's program Tow to Go, will dispatch a tow truck and take both the driver and the vehicle home, free of charge.