The annual holiday season crackdown on drinking and driving gets under way this week and Hamilton Police are reminding the public there will be zero tolerance for anyone thinking of mixing holiday cheer with the operation of a motor vehicle.

If the threat of potential death and carnage isn't enough to sway people from taking the risk of drinking and driving, consider the financial consequences of being caught operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

Ontario has some of the toughest drinking and driving laws in Canada and things are about to get a whole lot tougher.

Under a recent amendment to Ontario's Highway Traffic Act, the days of getting off with a 12-hour licence suspension are soon to be over. Drivers caught with a blood-alcohol reading of .05 to .08 milligrams (otherwise known as the 'warn' range), will face a three-day licence suspension and a nasty hike in auto insurance rates.

Should you blow over .08 milligrams, the consequences are even more severe. They include a criminal record, a driving ban of at least one year, significant fines and a huge spike in auto insurance rates.

In terms of auto insurance rates, a first offence will result in an insurance spike of between 30-40 per cent.

Margaret Miller, national president of MADD Canada, recently called on all Canadians to ensure the upcoming holidays are fatality-free and without impaired driving incidents.

"We hope this holiday season is without an impaired driving death or injury and we call on all Canadians to do their part so that the holidays are times of joy and not sorrow. We can all make the commitment to drive sober. We can all call 911 if we see a suspected impaired driver. These two actions will make our roads safer and they have the potential to significantly reduce impaired driving deaths and injuries."

MADD Canada recently launched its red ribbon public awareness campaign. More than four million red ribbons will be distributed across the country by MADD Canada volunteers to deliver the sober driving message during the busiest social time of the calendar.

Impaired driving remains Canada's No. 1 criminal cause of death. On average, each and every day, four Canadians are killed and another 187 Canadians are injured in alcohol and drug-related crashes. More than 70,000 Canadian men, women and children are killed or seriously injured in impaired driving crashes annually.

Statistics offer a sobering reality when it comes to drinking and driving.

Hamilton has suffered a number of deaths this year due to drinking and driving. While impaired driving statistics are going down in other areas, Hamilton saw an increase in alcohol related driving offences between 2005 and 2006. And the numbers are up again so far for 2007.

Between 2005 and 2006, impaired driving charges were up 3.25 per cent, over .08 charges up 8.82 per cent, impaired driving causing death was up 300 per cent, and a 13.49 per cent increase in motor vehicle collisions where alcohol was a factor.

This year, there have been five deaths as a result of drinking and driving and 506 impaired driving related charges. On average, there have been 27 motor vehicle collisions per month in Hamilton in 2007 and 11 of that total (119 for the year so far) have been alcohol related.

These numbers are rising despite increased enforcement by Hamilton Police. So far, in 2007, police have stopped 67,000 more cars in RIDE checks and expect to stop another 30,000 over the holiday season.

The annual RIDE program will launch Dec. 3, with increased enforcement across the city, both at night and during the day.

The holiday season is meant to be a time of joy, not sorrow. Don't drink and drive!