Celebrate responsibly

The host of parties planned tonight await both those who plan to toast the New Year with champagne and those who want to welcome 2006 more soberly.

The Enchanted Forest at 811 Broadway in Cape Girardeau offers music without alcohol. Centenary United Methodist Church is sponsoring a teens-only party.

Those who plan to imbibe can make use of a new company in Cape Girardeau called Designated Driver. The company offers round trips within the city for up to three passengers for a flat fee of $10. Four extra vans have been engaged to handle the extra need for transportation tonight.

Here's a sobering statistic: In the United States, four times more people die in alcohol-related traffic crashes on New Year's Eve than are killed in crashes on mid-week winter nights. The odds are in your favor if you celebrate responsibly.