Tips to ensure a safe Super Bowl XLIX
With less than a month left until Super Bowl XLIX (February 1st, 2015) it’s time to start planning for the event to ensure a fun and safe time. Many of these tips can be applied to any event, but with such a large occasion as the Super Bowl, Phoenix, AZ will be filled with drivers who aren’t familiar with the city and many drivers who are driving while intoxicated, leading to dangerous driving conditions.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that,
“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.”
“On Super Bowl, Sunday 2012, 38 percent of fatalities from motor vehicle crashes have been connected to drunk driving, compared to 30 percent on the average weekend.”
Super Bowl related events are on going throughout the city all month long(Super Bowl Events Calendar: https://azsuperbowl.com/events/) and in addition many restaurants and bars around town hold events for fans which leave them impaired and away from their homes and hotel rooms which adds to the amount of impaired drivers on the road. Many people will start drinking early or may remain drunk from the night before leaving them impaired the next morning so as a responsible person it is extremely important to plan ahead to avoid the dangers of impaired driving.
If you are attending a Super Bowl party or are watching the game away from your home:
- Assign a designated driver to remain sober. Many times the designated driver will decide to have a drink, so it is a good idea to have a backup plan just in case peer pressure gets the best of them.
- An easy way to ensure you don’t drink and drive is to leave your car at home. Taking a sober ride to an event will help ensure that you aren’t behind the wheel later in the evening.
- With how busy cab and ride services are it is important to have some numbers or apps on hand that will allow you to contact a ride home and plan ahead. Calling early will safeguard that you have a ride home after the game and when your party ends.
- The key is to guarantee however you get home it is a sober driver.
If you are hosting an event:
The NHTSA says that “…you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in a drunk-driving crash.”
- It is important that all of your guests know how they are getting home, are staying until they have sobered up or are staying sober. As your guests arrive inquire on how they are safely getting home or help them arrange a safe ride.
- Planning ahead will help your guests make wiser decisions. Have sober ride program, taxi and other helpful numbers on hand.
- Don’t be afraid to take someone’s keys away from them if they have been drinking. They will thank you later.
- Encourage your guests to pace themselves.
- Make being the designated driver fun for your guests, treat them like your parties MVP!
- Have non-alcoholic beverage options for your guests that won’t make them second guess their decision to be sober or feel left out of the group.
- Just like in the stadium, stop serving your guests after the third quarter. Instead, have a non-alcoholic fourth quarter with coffee and dessert.
- If you have underage persons attending your event ensure that they don’t consume alcoholic beverages.
- When it comes down to it the best way to have a safe Super Bowl is to plan ahead and guarantee that however you get home is by a sober driver.
Additional Information:
The AZ Super Bowl site itself also has many travel and safety tips to make your experience more enjoyable: https://azsuperbowl.com/knowbeforeyougo/
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has created a listing of sober/safe ride programs across the country. https://duijusticelink.aaa.com/for-the-public/aaas-role/public-education/sober-ride
About the author:
Dan Deary is president of Capitol Collision Repair, one of the largest, independent body shops in Phoenix, now in their 27th year in business.
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