THERE is no other way of putting this.

If you drink and drive, you are putting lives at risk and you have no excuse. Not at Christmas. Not at New Year. Not ever!

Get behind the wheel when you are over the limit and you are risking your licence, a fine, even losing your car. But worse you are risking not only your own life, but the lives of other law-abiding citizens who are not selfish and stupid enough to drink and drive.

The warnings have been in place for decades and it is now completely socially unacceptable behaviour, yet some people still choose to drive after they have been drinking.

Countless lives have been lost and many others devastated by the actions of drink drivers who fail to get the message, or think they somehow won't get caught.

It is not just the police patrols you need to worry about, but every other vehicle and pedestrian on the road, not to mention the lamp posts and trees at the side of the road.

If someone drinks and drives and gets caught before they have been able to do any damage, then we have all had a lucky escape.

Drink drivers deserve to lose their licence and if they are responsible for an accident then a prison sentence is justified.

The message is simple, and must get through: At any time – and not just the festive season – drink driving is never worth the risk.