The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration wants to remind all drivers this holiday season about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Before traveling to holiday festivities or seasonal vacations, make sure to plan for a sober ride home before enjoying an alcoholic beverage. This holiday season — and every day — remember, “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”

According to NHTSA, 837 people lost their lives in traffic crashes involving a drunken driver in December 2019.

The Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday periods in 2019 alone had more drunken-driving-related fatalities at 210 than any other holiday period that year.

About one-third of all traffic crash fatalities in the United States involve drunken drivers — those with blood-alcohol concentrations at or above .08 grams per deciliter. In 2019, 10,142 people were killed in drunken-driving crashes.

Nationally, it is illegal to drive with a BAC of .08 or higher, except in Utah, where the limit is .05.

Although it’s illegal to drive when impaired by alcohol, in 2019, one person was killed every 52 minutes in a drunken-driving crash on the nation’s roads.

Men are more likely than women to be driving drunk when involved in fatal crashes. In 2019, 21% of male drivers were drunk, compared with 14% of female drivers.

Of the traffic fatalities in 2019 among children 14 and younger, 19% — or 204 — occurred in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes.

Among the 10,142 alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities in 2019, 68% — 6,872 — were in crashes in which at least one driver had a BAC of .15 or higher.

Nighttime is a particularly dangerous time to be on the roads: The rate of alcohol impairment among drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2019 was 3.3 times higher at night than during the day.

Consider the cost of drunken driving: On average, a DUI can set a person back $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, court costs, lost time at work, higher insurance rates and more.

The financial impact from impaired-driving crashes is devastating. Based on 2010 numbers, the most recent year for which cost data is available, impaired-driving crashes cost the United States $44 billion annually.

Those caught drinking and driving can face jail time and lose their driver’s license and vehicle. This could make it difficult to get to work, resulting in lost wages and, potentially, job loss.

So always remember to plan ahead before celebrating. Arrange for a sober driver to get home. And if tapped to be the designated driver, take that role seriously and do not consume alcohol, not even one drink.

Remember it is never okay to drink and drive. Even if you’ve had only one alcoholic beverage, designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride service to get home safely.

And if a friend or family member is about to drink and drive, take the keys away and make arrangements to get that person home safely.