According to last year's study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 56% of seriously or fatally injured drivers tested positive for alcohol or other impairing drugs.

The holiday season is a time of celebration with family and friends, but one wrong decision could make it deadly. With the increase in gatherings and parties, the state’s STOP-DWI program is trying to remind New Yorkers of the consequences of drinking and driving.

Tracy Woodmancy, the mother of the late Samantha Reynolds, is a volunteer guest speaker for the program. She shares the story of her daughter's death to make sure no other parent has to live with the kind of loss she has for the past 15 years.

“Every day’s a struggle, every day, I cry. Every day," said Woodmancy.

The date April 12, 2008, is the worst day of her life.

“My daughter and her father were headed to Disney with their other family," she said. "A drunk driver entered the highway the wrong direction, picked up speed, hit my family's vehicle, sent it into a tailspin, where my daughter was ejected and hit a tree and died instantly."

At 4:30 in the morning, her daughter's step-mom called and told her they were in a crash. She quickly called her son and could tell something was wrong. And then…

“I got another call, about a half-hour later from their father, and that’s when I was told that my daughter had passed," Woodmancy recalled.

She then drove 10 hours from New York to South Carolina to pick everyone up.

“It was the longest drive of my life, felt like forever," she said.

And now, whether she's in the driver's seat or sitting as a passenger, Woodmancy thinks back to what happened to her daughter.

“I get panic attacks when I go to venues like the fair or outings," Woodmancy said. "I always have the fear of drinking and driving. That’s become my living nightmare.”

When counseling didn't help, Tracy tried volunteering with the state's STOP-DWI program. It helps her deal with the trauma of losing Samantha and be able to carry on her legacy.

“I hate to think of the thought of people living the way I live – with the loss of a child due to somebody else's negligence," she said.

She speaks at STOP-DWI victim-impact panels to remind people of the devastating consequences of driving while intoxicated. It's something Woodmancy and other volunteers want people to keep in mind going party-to-party this holiday season, knowing hundreds of people die when drunk drivers get behind the wheel.

“What we want them to understand is that they have options. They don’t need to get behind the wheel of a car. They don’t need to let their friends get behind the wheel of a car," said Stacey Lighthall, Oswego County's STOP-DWI educator. "And we want to make sure that they’re making those choices before they start to drink, before they start to smoke.”

Those options include getting an Uber or Lyft, having a designated driver, using public transportation or walking home if you’re close enough.

“I will never let my daughter's name die in vain," Woodmancy said. "If I can just make one person really think about what they’re doing before they get behind the wheel and I save a life, I’ve done a portion of what I feel my purpose is."

The STOP-DWI program has a Have a Plan mobile app. It allows you to call a taxi service, program a designated driver list and even report a driver who you see is impaired. If you’re going out at any point this holiday season, that could be a helpful resource.