Happy New Year!

Well here we are on New Year's Eve and there is a lot of talk about parties and celebrating tonight. While you're planning your celebrations, it's important to keep safety in mind. Law enforcement officers all over the U.S. will be out in force watching for impaired drivers and taking a bunch of them to jail. You've probably seen the DOT commercials for "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." Thank a law enforcement officer if you see one while you are out tonight. They give up a lot to work these holidays!

As we all know, New Year's Eve can be one of the most dangerous nights of the year because of drunk and impaired driving. But it doesn't have to be!

Simply by planning to use a taxi, a sober, designated driver or just staying home to party, you can lower your risks. Of course, we have to be watching out on the roads for those crossing our paths who didn't make safe plans to get home and being alert to making moves to get out of their way.

MADD wants everyone to have fun tonight and you can do that safely. Always drive sober and buckled up.

And about those resolutions...

I've got some of my own that include the usual "eating right and exercising," as well as re-reading some literature classics in 2011. What about you? Do you want to help out in eliminating drunk driving in your community or state? Check out www.madd.org and find your local chapter. We need not only volunteers, but donors to help us do our lifesaving work. Please consider a year end gift to MADD.

Together, we are getting closer to the day when there is no more drunk driving. Let's hope 2011 brings us great strides in reaching that goal. Happy New Year!