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We've all heard it before, and even though people keep coming up with new and creative ways to say it, we know we'll continue to hear this message repeated over and over again: Don't drink and drive.

So why don't more people listen?

Drinking one too many and then hopping behind the wheel is never a good idea, but it's even worse when hazardous road conditions - such as ice, slush puddles and 4-foot snow berms in the middle of the road - require all your concentration and lightning-quick reflexes as well.

There's a reason so many “don't drink and drive” campaigns are centered on the holiday season. It's a time when many party-goers give themselves permission to indulge, to have one “last blast” before the year ends. Unfortunately, for far too many people, that last blast is, literally, their last.

Each year, the number of alcohol-related traffic fatalities peaks in the days between Christmas and New Year's Eve, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, nearly 1,300 people died as a result of a traffic accident involving a driver with a blood-alcohol concentration at or above the legal limit of .08.

Of course, you don't have to be wasted to be too impaired to drive. Even a slight buzz can significantly diminish your judgment and your reflexes. In fact, the NHTSA recently released a report revealing that more fatalities involving legally drunk drivers occur around New Year's Eve than any other time of the year. A legally drunk driver, for those who never heard of such a thing, is someone whose blood alcohol concentration is below the legal limit - but not quite at zero.

The good news is that year-round figures show that the overall number of alcohol-related fatalities has been dropping. MADD notes that the number has fallen by about 47 percent, from more than 30,000 in 1980 to about 16,000 each year in recent years. This trend has generally held true in Montana as well, but the state still has a much higher rate of such fatalities than the national average.

These statistical changes are, no doubt, in some part due to those perennial “don't drink and drive” campaigns, by the stepped-up enforcement blitz from police and highway patrol officers, and by the ever-expanding array of family friendly, alcohol-free events offered on New Year's Eve.

In Missoula, the fun of First Night kicks off at 1 p.m. and continues through midnight with music, dancing, art, entertainment and more for the whole family. For a complete listing of events, check out last Friday's Entertainer, available online at missoulianentertainer.com.

So although it's been said already, this really can not be repeated too many times: don't drink and drive. Go to a First Night Missoula event instead. It's a fun, alcohol-free way to wrap up the year. And unlike binge drinking, it's the kind the fun you'll be able to remember on the first morning of the new year.

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