As the Holidays draw ever closer, the social events keep piling up. Office parties, family get togethers, friendly get togethers, any old excuse to have a drink and catch - and why not.
One cannot really call Christmas a relaxing period in this day and age, but it does give us the opportunity to let our hair down, eat a lot, have a drink or two and catch up with our friends and loved ones.
While alcohol and driving never mix, at this time of the year it is imperative that people really do stay sober if they are going to drive.
As ever, Sedqa has launched a promotional campaign to keep people away from the drink if they are going to drive, and this newspaper joins in that simple call: Do not drink if you are going to drive.
It has been a very black year on our roads so far. There have been 21 deaths and we are still counting. The odds are that there will be more in the build up to Christmas and the New Year. We wish we could say otherwise, but at this rate, it is just a case of more accidents waiting to happen.
Hopefully good sense will prevail and those who are determined to go out and have a good time (as they have every right to do), decide to use another mode of transport.
There are many alternatives to taking one’s own car out. Options include the designated driver system - a system between friends or relatives where one person stays sober and agrees to take everyone else home.
Small groups can take public transport and get a taxi back home in the morning. Larger groups can hire out mini vans. The message is simple - it is not worth it.
And here, this newspaper will put out the message to any younger drivers who might consider driving after having a drink - it is simply not worth it.
One can only imagine the trauma that one must go through in being arrested, breathalysed, interrogated and taken to court in the event of killing someone while driving under the influence. It could be worse, you might kill yourself and anyone else in the car with you.
It may cost you your freedom, it may cost you your job and it may also split a family - but worse than anything must be the guilt one has to live with for the rest of their lives, knowing that they have taken the life of a person who has their own loved ones.
This is the third editorial in the past couple of weeks about dangers on the road (read also letter published hereunder) and we will keep banging on about it. This year has proved that this country really does have a problem in road safety and our record in Europe is just getting worse and worse.
Accidents will always happen, but we can take concrete measures to avoid them. At the risk of becoming very repetitive - if you do plan to drive, then do not drink. If you do, you risk becoming a statistic, worse still, you may kill others and have to live with that for the rest of your life. Stay safe, do not drink and drive.