Both Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve fall on Saturdays this year. A cocktail of statistics suggests added danger from mixing holiday cheer with driving home from parties and bars.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports, alcohol-related traffic deaths and injuries jump by 50 percent around New Year's Eve. On the days around Christmas, they increase by 25 percent.

Blend in the fact that alcohol-related fatalities happen twice as often on weekends as on weekdays. And any day between midnight and 3 a.m., there are twice as many fatal crashes that involve alcohol-impaired drivers as the average for the rest of the day.

So for drivers on the way home from holiday revelry, perhaps it will be no surprise to see flashing lights as police crack down on drunken drivers. However, some drivers might be surprised to flunk the puff test, because they don't understand how few drinks it takes to be legally impaired. Even fewer drinks are needed to cut reaction time and boost bad judgment.

Drivers can avoid surprise by learning their limits before drinking. Intoxication depends on the drinker's weight and gender, the amount of alcohol consumed and the time spent drinking before getting behind the wheel. Some medications can amplify the effects of alcohol.

Revelers might consider purchasing a personal Breathalyzer for as little as $50.

Otherwise, an Internet search for the term "blood alcohol" will find tools for estimating alcohol levels.

For example, three martinis in two hours will put a 200-pound man near the 0.08 legal limit. For a 120-pound woman, the same three martinis could put her well over the limit. Three regular beers might leave both impaired but legal.

Drivers this season should leave extra space between vehicles and be more alert in case other drivers don't know their limits.

Santa — and the police — will be watching.

Ray Walden is a freelance writer based in Omaha. He is a regular contributor to LiveWell the Magazine.

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