BEAVER, WV (WVNS) — While the holiday season is a time of giving, fun, and celebration, it also becomes more dangerous to be on the roads.

According to the website Mothers Against Drunk Driving, there is a twenty percent increase in the number of drunk driving fatalities during the holidays, specifically between Christmas and New Years.

This then causes an increase in the number of motor vehicle calls fire departments respond to, which for some departments are already their most frequent calls.

Will Davis, the public information officer for the Beaver Volunteer Fire Department said accidents spike this time of year for many different reasons, not just drunk driving.

“It feels like an increase. You have more people traveling, holiday travelers,” said Davis. “Maybe people paying a little bit less attention to the road and more attention to the new gifts that they might have gotten. And so, it seems there is an increase every year around the holiday season.”

If you are drinking with friends or family, make sure to have a designated driver with you, have an Uber or Lyft take you home, or just stay where you are until you can get a ride.