New Year's is a time when a good deal of celebration occurs, but it is an unfortunate fact that some of those good times can turn tragic because of impaired drivers.

Eric Dickson, MD, FAAEM,   professor and head of the Department of Emergency Medicine a t University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, talks about Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month:

You and your staff are faced with the consequences of impaired driving. How often do drugs and alcohol play a role in traffic accidents?

Drugs and alcohol play a huge role. Last year, of the 34,000 people that were killed on our highways, 17,000 were the direct result of an impaired driver. That's an average of one person, every half hour, every day, all year long, that dies.

Beyond traffic accidents, how often do intoxicants contribute to accidents and trauma in general?

About 30 to 40 percent of all major accidents are drug or alcohol-related. That includes things like major burns, falls, firearms, and assaults that occur.

Such tragedies involve people of all ages, but does it also appear that young people are often affected?

One of the ugliest parts of this is what happens to the children. Of the people killed in auto accidents last year 2,300 were children. Many of them were in appropriate restraint devices with a sober driver, killed by someone else who got into a car and drove impaired. A car can be a lethal weapon, there's no other way to describe it.

What about younger drivers, teenage drivers, drivers in their early 20s, under age 25. Isn't it true that they have a high percentage of involvement in this type of accident?

They do, driving-related accidents, motor vehicle-related accidents, is the number one cause of death in teenagers and young adults, and about 40 percent of those deaths are related to alcohol being involved.

What recommendations do you have for preventing such tragedies?

• One. Don't drive impaired. It can ruin your life, the life of someone you love, and the life of someone you don't even know.
• Two. Buckle up, make sure your child is in an appropriate restraint device as well.
• Three. Watch out for bad weather. Alcohol plus ice and snow is really a deadly combination.

What is the most important point you most want our listeners to remember?

Don't drive impaired. One way or the other, it could and will ruin your life eventually.

Don't be a passenger in car driven by someone who is impaired. Walk, take a cab, call a friend, just don't get in a car that is being operated by an impaired driver.

Think ahead - designate a driver before you leave and that person should be treated special, especially during the holiday season, because they're making a sacrifice, sometimes, of having fun just to make sure that you get to and from your destination safely.

It's a wonderful time of year and there's nothing that can ruin it more than a tragedy in the family from an accident, so just be safe and have a good time.

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