Koon's watch

Thanksgiving is a time for food, family, friends, and for many of us, travel.

But it’s also one of the deadliest times of year on our roadways due to drunk and impaired drivers.

Drunk-driving-related crashes spike during the Thanksgiving holiday.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2013 to 2017, more than 800 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes during the Thanksgiving holiday period (6 pm Wednesday to 5:59 am Monday), making it the deadliest holiday on our nation’s roadways.

In fact, during 2017, more than 1 out of every 3 traffic fatalities during the Thanksgiving Holiday period involved an alcohol-impaired driver.

So if you plan on celebrating with family and friends this Thanksgiving weekend, follow these simple tips to stay safe on the road:

• Plan a way to get home before the festivities begin.

• If you are impaired, take a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.

• If a driver has ingested an impairing substance, such as alcohol, prescription drugs, sleep medication, marijuana, or any form of illegal drug, he or she should not drive.

• Passengers should never ride with an impaired driver. If you think a driver might be impaired, do not get in the car. | • If you know someone who is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.

• If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.

Let’s work together to save lives and to keep America’s roadways safe.