'TIS the season to be jolly - and inevitably some of that jollity will be aided by alcohol. Nothing wrong with that - a Christmas drink is all part of the enjoyment. But a Christmas drunk is something else, especially behind the wheel of a car.

Following an alarming rise in the number of drink-drivers who were stopped in November, police in York and Selby are being extra vigilant in their Christmas crackdown.

They are urging drivers not to drink at all. Their slogan is sober simplicity itself: "Just don't do it."

As the round of Christmas parties begins, with drinks after work, alcohol-fuelled meals or a glass or two of wine with friends, danger lies in taking a chance.

Alcohol is more freely offered and enjoyed at this time of year, and may even be contained in the seasonal food we are served, especially if the hand that made the mince pies slipped a little with the brandy bottle.

Drinking at such times is a pleasure with hidden dangers, because the drink that warms or relaxes can also make you unfit to drive. Breathalyser tests on those caught drink-driving last month showed that most were more than three times over the legal limit, which is equivalent to drinking eight pints of beer.

To drive after drinking so much is clearly very stupid and irresponsible. Yet many people are apparently still prepared to drive, even if they have not consumed quite such prodigious amounts.

The line between what is acceptable and what is not is a very fine one, which is why the only certain safeguard for drivers is not to drink at all. This is not a comfortable message at Christmas, yet with the police mounting random checks on drivers throughout the day and night, it is the only sensible solution.

The police know all too well the consequences of drinking and driving, and we should all remember that and take heed. And if we are not driving, we can raise a happy glass.

Updated: 11:07 Thursday, December 19, 2002