Dear Editor:

Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s biggest and most entertaining national sporting events as friends and family gather to socialize and watch the big game. However, it’s also one of the country’s most dangerous days on the roadways due to impaired driving.

In 2007, fatalities in alcohol-related crashes accounted for 32-percent of all US motor vehicle traffic deaths. On Super Bowl Sunday (12:01am Sunday to 5:59am Monday), 48-percent of the fatalities occurred in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher. In Georgia, one-in-five crash fatalities is alcohol-related and every alcohol-related death can be prevented.

That’s why the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) is joining traffic enforcement agencies across the state to remind fans to act responsibly by designating a sober driver if they plan to celebrate with alcohol on Super Bowl Sunday. On February 1st it won’t matter if you’re behind the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Arizona Cardinals, all fans can have the perfect end to their Super Bowl Sunday by driving sober.

Because so many of us will be attending Super Bowl parties, responsibility also lies with fans hosting their fellow football fanatics. After all, hosts may be held liable if someone they over-serve ends up in an impaired driving crash.

Party hosts can take the following precautions to ensure all their guests make it home safely: Make sure guests who are drinking have a sober driver or help arrange for one; serve lots of food and non-alcoholic beverages; stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter and start serving coffee and dessert; keep the numbers for local cab companies handy and be ready to take the keys away from anyone who’s thinking of driving while impaired. Let your new BFF (best football fan) stay the night!

All fans can also follow this game plan while attending a Super Bowl party or watching the event at their favorite sports bar: designate a sober driver before the party begins and give them your keys; program the number of local taxi companies into your cell phone; pace your drinking; eat enough food and alternate alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic ones; and volunteer to be a sober driver the next time out.

Remember…impaired driving is not an accident, nor is it a victimless crime. In 2007, nearly 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving an impaired driver with a BAC level at or above the legal limit. Driving impaired or riding with someone who is impaired is simply not worth the risk because the consequences could be far more devastating than your team losing the big game. Not only do you risk killing yourself or someone else, the trauma and financial costs of a crash or DUI arrest can be significant.

In Georgia, all traffic enforcement officers take a Zero Tolerance approach to drunk drivers. If you’re caught driving with a BAC of .08 or higher, you will go to jail. If you’re Over the Limit, You’re Under Arrest. And for everyone on the road this coming Super Bowl Sunday, remember to buckle your seat belt because it’s still your best protection against an unexpected encounter with an impaired driver.

So please act responsibly. Pass your keys to a sober driver before the game begins. And remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.

Bob Dallas, Director

Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety