Super Bowl Sunday is one of the country’s biggest sporting
events as friends and families gather to socialize and watch the
game. Yet, it has also become one of the nation’s most dangerous
days on the roadways due to impaired driving, according to the
Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
Super Bowl Sunday is one of the country’s biggest sporting events as friends and families gather to socialize and watch the game. Yet, it has also become one of the nation’s most dangerous days on the roadways due to impaired driving, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2008, fatalities in alcohol-related crashes accounted for 32 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities. On Super Bowl Sunday 2008, 49 percent of the fatalities occurred in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 or higher.
In California, 11 people were killed and another 133 were injured in alcohol-involved collisions on Super Bowl Sunday in 2009. That is three times the daily average killed in California with alcohol as a factor and those injured were twice the daily average.
So, in an effort to reduce those numbers, the Avoid the13 DUI Task Force will be deploying DUI saturation patrols targeting those who drive impaired.
“Designating a sober driver should be on the top of everyone’s Super Bowl party list,” said Milpitas Police Chief Dennis Graham, President of the Santa Clara County Police Chiefs’ Association. “It’s just one of several easy steps to help save lives.”
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:
Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in an impaired-driving crash.
Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers in advance, or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers.
Serve lots of food and include lots of non-alcoholic beverages at the party.
Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter of the game and begin serving coffee and dessert.
Keep the numbers for local cab companies handy and take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving while impaired.
If you are attending a Super Bowl party or watching at a sports bar or restaurant:
Designate your sober driver before the party begins and leave your car keys at home.
Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself-eat enough food, take breaks, and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
If you don’t have a designated driver: Ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come and get you; or just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober.
Never let a friend get behind the wheel of their vehicle if you think they are about to drive while impaired. Remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.
Always buckle up – it’s still your best defense against other impaired drivers.
