As frenzy over the Y2K computer problem continues, officials at the School of Public Health (SPH) are preparing the nation for a different sort of danger this holiday season--drunk driving.

SPH kicked off a campaign called "Make It to the Millennium: Designate a Driver" last weekend with a televised public service announcement by President Bill Clinton.

The announcement, produced by the Harvard Alcohol Project of the SPH, is part of a media blitz to promote designated driving throughout the holiday season.

Jay A. Winsten, director of the Center for Health Communication at SPH, said drunk driving this month may be more of a problem this holiday season because of increased celebration surrounding the new millennium.

"I think there will be a greater problem than recent years, and there will be an increase of fatalities if we are not careful, but we will never go back to the problems of a decade ago," Winsten said.

In the announcement, Clinton said that while drunk driving has decreased in recent years, it remains a problem.

"We can't rest on our efforts, when last year almost 16,000 Americans lost their lives to drunk driving," Clinton said in the announcement. "So this holiday season, if you choose to drink, drink in moderation, and choose a designated driver who doesn't drink at all."

The announcement will continue to air on national networks, as well as 45 cable channels, for the month of December. Local stations are not allowed to pre-empt the spots with other commercials, according to Winsten.