Consumer Advisory: NHTSA Advises Against Drinking and Driving on Super Bowl Sunday

NHTSA
February 3, 2012

For Immediate Release
February, 3, 2012
Contact: Karen Aldana, 202-366-9550

As football fans across the country eagerly anticipate Sunday's Super Bowl, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is urging the public to celebrate responsibly and never get behind the wheel if they’ve had too much to drink. According to agency statistics, alcohol-impaired crashes claimed a life every 51 minutes in 2010. On Super Bowl Sunday alone, 40 percent of fatalities from motor vehicle crashes were connected to drunk driving.

Whether attending the game, watching at a sports bar or hosting a party, NHTSA is reminding everyone that Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk and to ensure a designated driver is a member of their team. The agency also offers these additional safety tips:

• Designate your sober driver or have an alternate transportation plan before the party begins.
• 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.
• Use your community's sober ride program.
• Never let a friend leave your sight if you think they are about to drive and have had too much to drink.
• Always buckle up – it's still your best defense against other drunk drivers.

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:

• Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in a drunk-driving crash.
• Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers in advance, or help arrange alternate transportation.
• 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 has had too much to drink.

For information on our Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving Campaign please www.nhtsa.gov or visit the Facebook page. You can also follow on Twitter at (@buzzeddriving).

Note: NHTSA statistical data defines Super Bowl Sunday as 6 a.m. Sunday to 5:59 a.m. Monday.