Memorial Day is a fun time for us all. It’s the unofficial kick off to summer and just the thought of it conjures up pleasant images of bright sunshine, grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, splashing in the swimming pool and cool, crisp adult beverages.

It’s those adult beverages that can ruin much more than simply your summer.

The Mississippi Highway Patrol will kick off its 2017 Memorial Day Travel Enforcement Period with a safety awareness initiative called, “Drive to Survive.”

Enforcement begins Friday at 6 p.m. and continues through Monday at midnight.

The highway patrol is encouraging motorists to adopt a Drive to Survive mindset and make safe and responsible decisions their top priority when traveling this weekend.

Highway Patrol officials said they would have all available troopers assigned to saturation patrols in an effort to maximize visibility and reduce traffic crashes.

Further, safety checkpoints will be established to prevent impaired driving and promote seatbelt usage.

According to Mississippi Highway Patrol statistics, troopers investigated 132 crashes with two fatalities and made 164 Driving Under the Influence arrests on state and federal highways during last year’s Memorial Day holiday.

Even without the extra effort by highway patrol officers, you have all kinds of reasons not to get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking, even a little bit.

If you don’t care about yourself, the damage you could do to your career and the thousands and thousands of dollars you would pay in court costs and fines, think about the damage you could do to others if you drive drunk or buzzed.

Could you live with yourself if your selfish, careless decision to drive drunk cost the life of an innocent stranger? Could you live with yourself if that careless, selfish decision to drive drunk took the life of a friend or a family member?

It’s just not worth it.

If your Memorial Day will include alcoholic beverages, make plans now to stay put, or to designate a driver.

Plan to enjoy yourself without ruining your life or the lives of others.