Sure, you want to ring in the new year with a bang, but you don't want to start it off with a crash.
Plenty of Arizonans aren't getting the message about not driving while wrecked.
There were 215 deaths from alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in 2011 in Arizona, up 4 percent from 2010, according to newly released statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Nationwide, the trend is going the other direction.
"We're seeing declines in drunk driving deaths in many parts of the country - but there is still more work to do," NHTSA administrator David Strickland said in a news release.
"Ultimately, personal responsibility is critical to improving roadway safety," he said, "and we urge all motorists to be responsible this holiday season and never, ever drive drunk."
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So plan ahead tonight.
Pick a designated driver or get enough cash from the ATM for drinks and a cab ride. Put the number of a cab company in your jacket pocket or program it into your cell phone.
If the party's at your place, look up phone numbers for cabs ahead of time and be ready to give them to your friends.
You can also call AAA Arizona's Tipsy Tow service at 1-800-AAA-HELP (1-800-222-4357) between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. to get a free ride and a tow.
Officers in Arizona have arrested 26,334 people for driving under the influence this year, according to the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
A typical first-time DUI conviction can cost you more than $10,000, according to AAA Arizona.
It's a lot cheaper to pay for a taxi or call a friend and owe him a favor.
Down The Road
• Watch for nighttime ramp closures and lane closures Wednesday though Friday on Interstate 19 from Pima Mine Road to the I-19/I-10 traffic interchange.
Crews are replacing overhead signs with "brighter, larger and more legible ones," according to an Arizona Department of Transportation news release.
• The westbound I-10 frontage road will be closed between 22nd and Congress Street on Wednesday, and it will stay closed for a month while streetcar construction crews install water lines and rails.
• The county is planning to start work this week on a mill and fill treatment for the mile of Abrego Drive between Esperanza Boulevard and Continental Road in Green Valley.
Road Q
George Ward is interested in the new La Cholla Boulevard bridge over the Cañada del Oro Wash because he expects it'll be "hugely noisy unless appropriate noise walls are erected," he writes. "Do you know if such walls are planned?"
A: "The bridge includes a concrete barrier at the edge of the travel lanes that will provide some noise mitigation," county project manager Dean Papajohn said in an email.
"The residential subdivisions to the northwest and to the southeast of the CDO Wash already have concrete perimeter walls that will provide noise mitigation. A noise analysis was prepared using 20-year traffic projections, and no additional mitigation measures were warranted."
Send your Road Q questions by email to roadrunner@azstarnet.com or to 4850 S. Park Ave., Tucson, AZ 85714. Please include first and last names.
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