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Calls to DUI attorneys tend to increase this time of year and persist through the New Year's celebration.
But with law enforcement out in force, "you don't want to be drinking and driving,"said Kevin Camp, a Jackson lawyer.
"The whole thing is if you are going to drink, you need to drink responsibly," Camp said.
Since state troopers' holiday enforcement period began at 6 p.m. Friday, dozens of people across the state have been arrested for suspicion of drinking and driving on Mississippi highways.
Statistics show the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol has made almost 100 DUI arrests, spokesman Cpl. Ben Williams saidTuesday.
Between Dec. 22-25, 2006, the HighwayPatrol worked five alcohol-related wrecks and made 73 DUI arrests.
State troopers are targeting anyone who violates the law but are showing "zero tolerance" for drunken drivers in particular, Williams said.
Of 911 people killed in traffic crashes in Mississippi in 2006, 375 were alcohol-related, according to the Mississippi chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
MADD is urging motorists to designate a sober driver before setting party plans.
"Drunk driving is a serious and often violent crime that happens all too often. On nights like New Year's Eve, everyone must do their part to protect lives and prevent injuries by designating a sober driver or planning on other safe transportation," MADD's national president, Glynn Birch, said in a statement.
But Camp said his office has noticed that designated drivers often drink too much, too.
"They often think they can have four or five beers instead of one," Camp said.
Jackson Police Department spokesman Sgt. Jeffery Scott said people believe they can drink and drive safely.
"You always hear them say, 'I do this all the time,' and the sad part about it is they're probably telling the truth (and) they never got caught. Sooner or later, you're going to get caught,"Scott said.
Scott recalled that during his patrol days he pulled over a man he suspected of driving while drunk and the man handed him his Sam's Club card when he asked for his driver's license. "Then I asked him to get out and walk in a straight line, and he gets out and does the tango up and down the street,"Scott said.
"Then there was the guy I asked ... to put the car in park. He shifts in reverse and comes within a couple of inches from hitting my patrol car."
Scott said drunken drivers are a danger to themselves and other drivers because they're "unpredictable."
Jackson resident Emmett Johnson is having his third Christmas without his son because of a drunken driver.
Michael Johnson, 18, was killed in June 2005 in a crash on Capitol Street in downtown Jackson.
"If we can use his death to highlight the problem of drunk drivers, we will gladly do it," Emmett Johnson said.
Jason Rhea, the driver of the car that hit Johnson's, had three DUI convictions and another charge was pending when the wreck occurred, according to authorities.
Staff writer Heather Civil contributed to this report.
To comment on this story, call Jimmie E. Gates at (601) 961-7212 or Nicklaus Lovelady at (601) 961-7239.
MADD SAFETY TIPS
- Never get in a car with someone who has been drinking.
- Be a sober designated driver.
- Use safety belts. Make sure your riders do, too.
- Properly secure children in child-safety seats.
- Be a responsible host. Do not let your guests drive after drinking and never serve alcohol to anyone under the age of 21.
- Support drunken-driving and underage-drinking prevention laws and victim's rights legislation by contacting your elected officials.
- Report drunken drivers immediately to law enforcement.
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