It’s the most wonderful time of the year — and, statistics show, among the most dangerous.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, an average of 300 people across the nation die each year in drunken driving crashes during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that the most drunken driving arrests occur annually between Thanksgiving and the new year, and the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that 40 percent of fatal crashes on Christmas and New Year’s involve people who are drunk behind the wheel.

In other words, the holiday season is, for some, a period of poor choices and tragic consequences.

State police told the Eagle that there have been 23 reported DUI incidents between Thanksgiving and Dec. 12, which averages to one-and-a-half incidents per day for the past two weeks.

The good news is that Cranberry Township Police reported only four such incidents during that period of time, while Butler Township Police only had one.

But in recent days, there has been an incident in which an allegedly drunken driver crashed into a pole in Center Township during the morning hours, and another in which a Jefferson Township man was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence just three weeks after he pleaded guilty to another DUI from earlier this year.

There’s an obvious reason why roads in the county and across the nation are the most traveled around this time of year.

Families are getting together. Children are attending holiday parties. Municipalities are hosting holiday gatherings. More people are behind the wheel, and more are on foot in their community.

Operating a vehicle after having consumed alcohol or taken drugs is a reckless and selfish decision any time of the year. But doing so at this particular time of year increases the chances that someone is going to get hurt.

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, slow down when you’re driving through Butler County, and have someone else drive you home if you have had too much to drink.

It’s not worth getting pulled over and losing your license — or worse, losing your life or causing someone else to lose theirs. Be mindful that your choices behind the wheel affect more than just yourself.