When it comes to talking about drunk driving and the potentially deadly results, puns have no place. But the statistics from Mothers Against Drunk Driving are sobering.

Try this one: every day in America, another 28 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes.

Or this one: On average, two in three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime.

As what is often referred to as the summer driving season comes to an end this weekend, it is important to sadly reflect on the lives that have been taken by drunk drivers.

It is those victims, those people so senselessly killed by drunk drivers, who will never get the chance to celebrate another holiday weekend of any kind with the ones they love.

It is those victims who will no longer be able to enjoy a cookout on the lake or enjoy tailgating before a college football game.

Those victims are gone, but their friends and families are the left behind to mourn.

Our society often times tries to find excuses for those who caused such tragedy. We are asked to often think about their families or the circumstances that led them to drive drunk.

But their actions are far from worthy of sympathy. Instead, it is their selfishness, their conscious decisions that ultimately led to tragedy.

It was not their victims who made the decision to drink, nor was it their victims’ decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle drunk.

We must continue to find ways to curb drunk driving — and drinking to excess for that matter — in our community, in our society. We must continue to stress moderation and safety.

As we mark the unofficial end to summer, let us now believe that drunk driving will also end with the warm weather. Drunk driving is not a holiday or seasonal problem, but rather a year-round, every day problem that must be stopped.

It is time we put the bottle down, the keys away and think long and hard before you drink. Your life — and the lives of others — may depend on it.