Michelle Basch, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – “I’ll just do it this once…It’s no big deal…Waiting for a cab is such a hassle…”

These are things people tell themselves before they drink and drive in the wee hours of Jan. 1.

According to an analysis by AAA, the highest number of alcohol-related traffic deaths over the last ten years have happened on New Year’s Day.

This New Year’s holiday could be more deadly than previous ones.

“With it falling on a weekend, those numbers go up even more,” says Kristen Nevels with AAA Mid-Atlantic.

She says before you consider drinking and driving, you should think about what you could lose besides money.

A first time DUI conviction could lead to as much as a one year jail sentence.

Nearly 11,000 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes nationwide during all of 2009, including 243 in Virginia, 162 in Maryland and 10 in D.C.

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(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All rights reserved.)