Sunday’s Super Bowl featuring the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots is expected to be the nation’s biggest sporting event of the year, with millions of fans gathering to watch at house parties, restaurants and bars where alcohol plays a prominent role in the festivities. AAA Mid-Atlantic is urging partygoers to arrange a sober ride home from Super Bowl festivities due to a greatly increased risk of DUI crashes onSunday, Feb. 1.
“Drunk driving is completely unacceptable” said Martha Mitchell Meade, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “It takes just a few moments of planning to make the right decision to drive sober. We want fans to remember that it’s a choice. Drink or drive—but never do both,” pleaded Meade.
According to data provided by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, from 2003-2013, over 300,000 (318,149) drivers in Virginia were arrested for drinking and driving – enough to fill the University of Phoenix Stadium more than five times.
The national picture of annual drunken driving fatalities is grim as well. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 10,322 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes in 2012, an increase of 457 from the year before. Drunk-driving fatalities accounted for 31 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States, up from 30 percent in 2011.
To help keep drivers and passengers safe on Super Bowl Sunday, AAA Mid-Atlantic recommends the following safe practices:
For Home Party Hosts:
- Ask all your guests to designate a sober driver in advance.
- Keep numbers for local cab and sober ride services handy.
- If hosting a Super Bowl party, be a responsible host. Take car keys from partygoers as they arrive and don’t let them drive drunk.
- As a host, serve food and non-alcoholic drinks and water. Many mocktail recipes can be found online.
- Serve protein-rich and starchy foods to slow alcohol absorption.
- Do not serve alcohol to anyone under age 21.
- Stop serving alcohol in the third quarter of the game.
- Allow guests to stay overnight, if possible.
For Party Guests or Patrons Watching the Game at Restaurants-Bars:
- Designate a sober driver in advance if attending a Super Bowl party.
- Keep a cab company and/or sober ride service telephone number in your cell phone and wallet so you can call for a ride home.
- Call a sober friend, family member or a taxi for a ride if you’ve been drinking.
- Never ride as a passenger in a car driven by someone who has been drinking alcohol – even after just one drink.
- If you encounter an impaired driver on the road, keep a safe distance and ask a passenger to call 911 (or pull over to a safe location to make the call yourself).
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Chris Graham
