News

February 3, 2012
Make a Smart Defensive Move and Drive Sober Super Bowl Weekend
Before The Big Game, Have a Plan and Designate a Driver To Get Home Safely

RICHMOND – As football fans prepare for the Super Bowl XLVI match-up between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots, Virginia State Police remind all Virginians to celebrate responsibly this Super Bowl Sunday by planning the trip home before the game even begins.

“If you plan on drinking during the game, then make the right call and pass your keys to a designated driver,” says Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “Drunk driving alone claimed more than 270 lives on Virginia’s highways in 2010.* The risk is too great to drive impaired or ride with someone who is impaired.”

In 2010, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes nationwide accounted for 31 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic fatalities. More than 10,000 individuals died in highway crashes involving an alcohol impaired driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .08 or higher across the U.S., in 2010. The tragedies and costs from driving impaired are not limited to death, disfigurement, disability or injury. Drive drunk and also face the likely consequence of an arrest, loss of your license, or a night in jail.

If you are hosting a 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 offer 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 party or watching at a sports bar or restaurant:

• Designate your sober driver ahead of the party 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.

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*DMV, Highway Traffic Crash Data