Transportation Secretary Foxx Urges Fans to Play It Safe and Designate a Sober Driver on Super Bowl Sunday

Topics:  Anthony Foxx

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
January 30, 2015

NHTSA 03-15
Friday, January 30, 2015
Contact: Troy Green, 202-366-9550, Public.Affairs@dot.gov

WASHINGTON – With football fans across the country preparing to watch and celebrate Sunday’s Super Bowl with friends and family, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx reminds fans to enjoy the festivities responsibly and designate a driver if they intend to drink.

“My team won’t be in the Super Bowl, but I will be watching,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “If you’re hosting a Super Bowl party or out watching the game with friends, remember that fans don’t let fans drive drunk. Always have a plan to get home safely.”

In 2013, 10,076 people died in crashes involving a drunk driver – one death every 52 minutes, according to NHTSA. More than half of those fatalities – 56 percent – happened during weekends (Friday 6 p.m. to Monday 5:59 a.m.).

“If you choose to drink, please make the winning decision that could save your life or the lives of others – find a sober driver to take you home,” Said NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind. “Each life lost because of drunk driving is preventable, so please designate a driver.”

NHTSA, the National Football League (NFL), and the Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition joined forces with local highway safety and law enforcement officials to remind revelers that Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk. If hosting a party, watching the game at a sports bar or restaurant, or attending the game, choose a designated sober driver before choosing to drink. NHTSA also recommends the following safety precautions:

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

• Designate a sober driver or plan another way to get home safely before the party begins
• Use NHTSA’s new SaferRide mobile app. The app helps people who have been drinking get a safe ride home by allowing users to call a taxi or a friend and by identifying their location so they can be picked up. The app is available for Android devices on Google Play, and Apple devices on the iTunes store.
• 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’re 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 guests designate sober drivers in advance or help arrange alternate transportation.
• Include plenty of non-alcoholic beverages at the party.
• Stop serving alcohol at the end of the game’s third quarter 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.

Visit TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov for more information on the Super Bowl drunk driving prevention campaign.

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