It’s New Year’s Eve. You know what that means. Time to go get shitfaced! Woohoo. ‘Cause binge drinking is fun, right? Well, I don’t really think so, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

Oh, except, can you do me a favor? I know, I know, you’re a tough guy or a hard-drinkin’ woman. You can handle your booze fine. And you live in the grid or just out at Arden or just over in Natomas, so you can probably make it home, right?

And of course, drunk drivers themselves are usually fine, right? You’re all lose and relaxed. You bounce. You don’t die. They do.

It IS murder though. You know that, right?

So don’t do it. You have options:

Try RT.

Call the Designated Driver’s Association of Sacramento at (916)335-5555. Their volunteers are available on New Year’s Eve to give you AND your vehicle a safe ride home.

Take a cab. The wait might be long, but a protracted vehicular manslaughter case takes longer.

Call AAA, even if you aren’t a member, for a FREE ride and a tow home: 1-800-222-4357

Don’t be a murdering fool.

Happy New Year. (click below for more fun stats and warning signs)

From an article showing how you’ll likely get nailed anyway even if you try something stupid:

DUIs by the numbers

The average cost of an alcohol-related fatality in California: $3.8 million

Number of people arrested for DUI in 2006: 197,248.

Number of people injured in DUI crashes: 31,099

Number of people killed in DUI crashes: 1,597

Number of people killed in during New Year’s weekend: 38.

Average blood alcohol content for someone convicted of DUI: 0.16.

Legal BAC limit: .08.

Sources: CHP, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Report drunk drivers

The CHP urges local residents to report suspected drunk drivers. Those driving under the influence of alcohol will often exhibit some of the following behaviors:

• weaving or zigzagging across the road

• driving off the road

• turning abruptly or illegally

• following others too closely

• signaling that is inconsistent with driving actions

• slow response to traffic signals, including sudden stops and delayed starts

• driving with headlights off.

To report drunk drivers, the CHP offers these guidelines:

• Call 911 and tell them you wish to report a drunk driver. You do not have to give your name.

• Give the exact location of the vehicle, include the name of the road or cross streets and the direction the vehicle is traveling.

• Give a complete description of the vehicle, such as make, model, color and license plate.

• Describe the manner in which the vehicle is being driven.

• Do not follow or try to stop the car or detain the driver. Leave that to law enforcement officers.

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