We all know the holidays are fraught with peril when it comes to driving on the highways and byways. Everything seems to conspire to make the roads a more dangerous place. From fewer hours of daylight and more bad weather, to more parties and social events that entail alcohol and drinking, to frazzled shoppers attempting to find that one item to finish their shopping list, the streets and roads around Macon have many hazards. A study by the University of Alabama's Center for Advanced Public Safety, looking at data from that state, found during the holiday period, that the six days before Christmas were the most risky. That period had 18 percent more car accidents than Thanksgiving and 27 percent more than New Year's Day. It pays to take extra time and an extra deep breath. Racing through parking lots at stores, just to beat another driver to a parking…

There is no doubt that driving while intoxicated is a negligent and reckless decision. Alcohol impairs vision, decision making and reaction time, none of which are helpful when trying to drive. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that there are a seemingly endless number of accidents that act as an example of the damage that this behavior holds. A recent drunk driving accident occurred in Georgia that acts as an all too real reminder of the consequences of impaired driving. The accident occurred on Sunday, Nov. 8, at approximately 3:30 a.m. It started when a vehicle ran out of gas. The driver was forced to stop on the side of the road, and a Good Samaritan stopped to help. While the two vehicles were pulled over alongside the road, a third vehicle involved itself in the situation. This third vehicle wasn’t there to help. Instead, the driver slammed into the back…

In Georgia, the struggle against drunk driving continues every day. From education in schools, to Georgia State Patrol troopers using checkpoints and stopping suspected drunk drivers, a great deal is being done to reduce the number of traffic fatalities caused by drunk driving accidents. But the need remains great. Too many people are killed and too many suffer lifelong injuries that will inflict decades of pain and require lifetime medical care. So it is important to learn that binge drinking, the consumption of more than five drinks in a row, remains prevalent among high school students. Frighteningly, almost sixth percent of high schools seniors admit to incredible binge drinking of 15 drinks or more at a single time. One wonders how it is possible to avoid alcohol poisoning or death at this level, but this extreme binge drinking continues to occur and it is disturbing to find that it has…

Drunk driving accidents devastate lives in every state, including Georgia. With so many injuries and deaths resulting from DUI accidents each year, it's no exaggeration to say that drunk driving is a scourge. Recently in Albany, Georgia, a drunk driving father actually caused serious head injuries to his own 6-year-old daughter, according to police. The little girl had to be transported to Macon's Medical Center of Georgia, where she was given treatment in the Intensive Care Unit and said to be in critical condition. The father was approaching an intersection in his SUV when his vehicle ran into the rear of a tractor-trailer that was stopped on the road. The man's daughter was wearing a seatbelt, but she still wasn't properly restrained because she was riding in the front seat. The father initially lied about the circumstances of the crash, according to state police. He claimed that another motorist forced him to…