Super Bowl Brings Game Day DUI Warning

As football fans all over the country look to Arizona to watch Super Bowl XLIX, law enforcement in Georgia will be looking out for impaired drivers who continue their celebrating behind the wheel.

The Super Bowl is America’s most popular sporting event, but that also means it is one of the country’s most popular drinking events. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is urging those fans who choose to celebrate with alcohol on Super Bowl Sunday to plan ahead and either designate a sober driver or be ready to take a taxi or public transportation home.

“Just as fans will be choosing sides and rooting for either the Seahawks or Patriots, they should also decide ahead of time whether they’ll be drinking or driving,” GOHS Director Harris Blackwood said. “All it takes is a little planning. Drink or drive, but never do both.”

Georgia is a zero tolerance state when it comes to drunk driving. If you are caught driving with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of .08 or more, you will be arrested and you will go to jail. Impaired driving still happens far too often in Georgia and there are tragic consequences. In 2012, there were 301 alcohol-impaired fatalities statewide. That’s an increase from 277 in 2011.

Fans in Georgia can follow a game-winning strategy on the big day by downloading the Drive Sober, Georgia app before the party begins. Available for both Apple and Android phones, the app lists paid and free sober ride programs by area. No matter where you’re celebrating, there’s always a sober ride home within reach.

“Downloading the Drive Sober, Georgia app is just one of the ways you can make sure you get home safely from your football festivities,” Blackwood said. “Whether you’re throwing the party or attending the party, there are ways to be responsible.”

GOHS offers the following tips for all those celebrating on Super Bowl Sunday:

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

• Designate a sober driver ahead of time.
• Consider getting a taxi to your destination so you won’t be tempted to drive impaired later.
• When drinking, pace yourself. Eat plenty of food and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks.
• If you don’t have a sober driver designated ahead of time, call a sober friend, hire a taxi or be prepared to take public transportation.
• Make sure your designated driver is sober and not just less intoxicated than you.
• Do not walk home after drinking. Walking impaired can be just as dangerous as driving impaired and both carry legal consequences.
If you’re hosting a party:
• Make sure your guests have sober rides home in advance.
• Serve plenty of food and non-alcoholic drinks.
• Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter.
• Have cab company phone numbers on hand and be prepared to take keys away from impaired guests who try to get behind the wheel.
• Do not serve alcohol to underage partygoers.
• Remember that party hosts can be held liable if guests leave their home and are involved in an impaired-driving crash.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, alcohol-impaired crashes claimed 10,322 lives nationwide in 2012. That’s 31 percent of all crash deaths. The .08 BAC limit is the same in all 50 states so no matter where you watch the big game, if you’re over the limit you’ll be under arrest.

For more information on the dangers of drunk driving, visit www.gahighwaysafety.org.