Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk This Super Bowl Sunday
Law enforcement working overtime this weekend to crack down on drunk drivers

Nashville, TN – Real Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk this Super Bowl weekend. That’s the message from the Governor’s Highway Safety Office (GHSO) and Tennessee Department of Safety (TDOS) who are joining the Tennessee Titans NFL Football Team and law enforcement agencies across the state to remind drivers to make the right call by passing their keys to a sober driver this weekend.

“If your Super Bowl game plan includes celebrating with alcohol make sure you have a sober, designated driver in your line-up,” said Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “Law enforcement officials will be working overtime to ensure that Tennessee’s roads are safe, so if you drink and drive this Super Bowl weekend, chances are you’ll be caught.”

Representatives from the GHSO, THP, Tennessee Titans and Metropolitan Nashville Police Department held a sober driving Super Bowl “party” at LP Field in Nashville today to remind fans that law enforcement across the state will be out in force this weekend as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), National Football League (NFL), and Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) national campaign.

“The Super Bowl is a sports fan’s national holiday and we want everyone to make the right play for the big game,” said Kendell Poole, Director of TDOT’s Governor’s Highway Safety Office. “Remember, if you drink don’t drive, and if you host a Super Bowl party this weekend, make sure your guests act responsibly and get home safely or it could be you that is held accountable.”

According to the Department of Safety, troopers made 25 DUI arrests during the 2006 Super Bowl weekend. There were eight fatal accidents and only one was alcohol related (12.5%). That number is down drastically from the 2005 Super Bowl weekend when three of the seven fatalities, or 43%, involved a driver with a blood alcohol content of .08% or higher.

“Even one death caused by an impaired driver is one too many,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. “This Super Bowl Sunday, we want to see zero alcohol-related fatalities in Tennessee so you will see more troopers in more places looking for people who break the law. Make sure you come out a winner this Super Bowl weekend. Designate a sober driver or take a cab home if you’ve had too much to drink.”

“Getting a ride from a sober friend is always a winning play,” stated Don MacLachlan, Titans Executive Vice President of Administration and Facilities. “Thanks to all of the people who have chosen to be a sober designated driver this Super Bowl weekend. Your responsible decision ensures this year’s celebration is extra special and extra safe.”

According to the 2005 Designated Driver poll completed by Data Development Corporation, 70% of the adult population have been a designated driver or have been driven home by one. That means 148 million Americans already know how to drink responsibly and prevent the needless tragedies that result from drunk driving.
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Tennessee Highway Patrol Colonel Mike Walker reminded football fans that drinking and driving is not worth the risk. “Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, the cost of a DUI conviction is significant. DUI violators face jail time, loss of their driver license, higher insurance rates, big attorney fees, unpaid time away from work and many other expenses. Between the sobriety checkpoints, roving patrols, undercover officers and concerned citizens, if you choose to drive impaired this Super Bowl Sunday, you will be caught.”

• Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served alcohol ends up in an impaired driving crash.
•  Make sure all of your guests designate sober drivers in advance, or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers.
• Serve a lot of food – and include a variety 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 considers driving while impaired.

• Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Pace yourself—eat enough food, take breaks and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
• Designate your sober driver before the party begins and give that person your car keys.
• 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.
• Never let a friend leave your sight if you think they are about to drive while impaired. Remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.
• Always buckle up – it’s still your best defense against other impaired drivers.

NFL’s Season-long Commitment to Community & Traffic Safety

The Super Bowl effort is part of the NFL-TEAM-RADD’s season-long Responsibility Has Its Rewards designated driver program at every NFL stadium nationwide, including the Tennessee Titans’. Fans who pledged to be designated drivers at NFL games were eligible to enter a drawing to be selected as the team’s designated driver for the season. The designated drivers selected from the teams that are competing in the Super Bowl received two tickets, airfare and hotel accommodations to attend the big game. In addition, one designated driver from an NFL team that does not play in the Super Bowl will be chosen at random to attend the 2007 NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii.

For more information, please visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org or www.TeamCoalition.org.

A listing of THP sobriety and driver license checkpoints can be found on the Web at http://state.tn.us/safety/newsreleases/2007/070202SBCheckpoints.html.