For whatever reason, most all of us have this notion in life that "it couldn't happen to me." It makes sense. We would never think we, as ordinary, good people, would be struck with our worst nightmare. Unfortunately, that is not the way life works. Bad things happen to good people. It is plain and simple although nearly impossible to understand.

It could happen to you. I am not saying this as a scare tactic, as they tend to backfire. I am saying this because it is the reality. As much as we wish we were, nobody is immune to the bad in life.

Drinking and driving is a serious problem yet it is 100 percent preventable. Too many times adolescents drink and drive out of the fear of not being able to explain to their parents why they could not come home that night, yet by drinking and driving, kids often never make it home at all.

Every day, 28 people in the United States die in car accidents that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This equates to one death every 53 minutes.

In 2014, 9,967 people were killed in alcohol-impaired crashes, that is 31 percent of all traffic-related deaths in the United States that year.

Do you ever wonder why in drunk driving situations, the driver more often than not walks away scratch free and the victim dies or faces major injury? Well, as it turns out, alcohol appears to act as a buffer that inhibits certain stress-related chemicals released when a person suffers major injury.

When you consider the odds of what could happen in a drinking and driving situation, they really are not in anyone's favor.

There are three outcomes when a person drinks and drives.

Outcome number one: You make it to your destination safely.

Outcome number two: You are pulled over and receive a DUI/DWI (Driving Under the Influence, Driving While Intoxicated).

Outcome number three: You get in an accident which potentially could kill yourself, other people you hit, or both.

Two of the three outcomes are life altering and are in no way worth it. Statistically, the odds are not favorable.

A DUI at the bare minimum without damages can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $12,000 after paying court costs, legal fees, license reinstatement, counseling classes (if they are required), increased insurance costs, etc. Not to mention, it can impact future employment and follow you for the rest of your life.

The burden that would be carried with you for the rest of your life from hurting or killing somebody else costs far more.

While having to make the dreaded call to your parents or paying for an Uber, Lyft or taxi may seem expensive in the moment, it is significantly cheaper to pay let's say $30 up front than to be paying for the costs of a DUI or coping with the reality of taking the life of another person. Not to mention, it doesn't hurt to plan ahead!