Consumer Advisory: Celebrate Super Bowl XLVIII Responsibly

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
January 31, 2014

NHTSA 04-14
Friday, January 31, 2014
Contact: José Alberto Uclés, 202-366-9550, Public.Affairs@dot.gov

Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk – Designate a Sober Driver

WASHINGTON – As football fans across the nation gear up for Super Bowl parties on Sunday, February 2, the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the National Football League (NFL) and the Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition have joined forces with local highway safety and law enforcement officials to remind revelers that Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk.

According to NHTSA, in 2012, 10,322 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes, and the majority of them involved drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .15 or higher – nearly double the legal limit. That equates to one person dying in an alcohol-impaired crash every 51 minutes of every day in 2012.

On Super Bowl Sunday 2012 alone, 38 percent of fatalities from motor vehicle crashes have been connected to drunk driving, compared to 30 percent on the average weekend.*

Whether attending the game, watching at a restaurant or sports bar, or hosting a party, NHTSA, TEAM Coalition and the NFL remind everyone that Fans Don't Let Fans Drive Drunk. Before choosing to drink, choose your team's MVP – a sober designated driver. NHTSA offers these additional safety tips:

If you're attending a Super Bowl party or watching the game at a sports bar or restaurant:

Designate your sober driver, or plan another way to get home safely before the party begins.
If you don't have a designated driver, then ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come and get you; or just stay in for the night.
Use your community's sober ride program.
Never let friends drive if they have had too much to drink.
Always buckle up – it's still your best defense against 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.

*-NHTSA statistical data define Super Bowl Sunday as 6 a.m. Sunday to 5:59 a.m. on Monday.

For more safety tips on Super Bowl Sunday, visit www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov.

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