Last year, approximately 10,500 people died in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes, according to figures released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council.

"Historically, holiday periods have shown higher incidences of alcohol-impaired driving crashes, so whether you're at a holiday party, a New Year’s Eve bash at a bar or reveling with friends, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council are reminding everyone that the best way to stay safe is to plan ahead and designate a sober before you head out for your festivities."

The NHTSA and Ad Council provided these resources to help:

• Designated Driver Drink List — "One of the most important things you can do before going out is designate a sober driver. If you’re throwing a party, make sure to offer non-alcoholic drinks for the sober drivers. We’ve compiled a Facebook tab with 50 non-alcoholic party drink recipes." [The list is also available as a PDF next to this article]

• Alternative Ride Locator — "We’ve created a Facebook tab with a list of nationwide alternative ride programs that can help keep your readers safe." [There are none listed for Connecticut, but if you are traveling, it might come in handy]

• Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving website — "Your readers can sign a pledge not to drink and drive; play “Spot the Difference,” an interactive game that simulates the effects of buzzed driving; and watch a real-life video about how buzzed driving changed one woman’s life."

Catherine LeVasseur, Coalition Coordinator for M.A.D.E. in Madison, said she loved the idea of providing non-alcoholic drinks and added these tips:

• If you’re hosting a party don’t let minors drink
• Make sure to serve food, coffee, and water to guests (not just alcohol!)
• Monitor your guests
• Never let an intoxicated guest drive home (arrange for a ride or invite to stay over)
• Also, remember it takes a while for the alcohol to metabolize. Here is a link to a great chart about the amount of time it takes to metabolize alcohol. http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/alerts/l/blnaa35.htm
• Most importantly, remember there is no safe way to host an underage drinking party.

"There are so many negative consequences both physical and legal," LeVasseur said. "There is a large misconception that one of the greatest negative consequences of underage drinking is drunk driving."

Unfortunately a lot of people feel that “hosting” a party is safe because the hosts might try to prevent the teens from driving, LeVasseur said.

"Underage drinking is dangerous, and has many negative consequences including: alcohol poisoning, rape, suicide, property damage, and brain damage. It’s important to remember that the adolescent body can’t handle alcohol like an adult. There is no way to 'teach' young people how to drink, their bodies have to mature to be able to process the alcohol in a safe way," she said.