The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania DUI Association, Pennsylvania State Police, Erie County Detectives, Lawrence Park Township Police, North East Borough Police, Girard Borough Police, Albion Borough Police, and Edinboro Borough Police are reminding residents to stay safe this Super Bowl weekend and not drive impaired.
The annual football game, scheduled for Sunday, February 7, is among the most celebrated sporting events in the country. Going hand-in-hand with many of those celebrations will be the consumption of alcohol.
PennDOT, the Pennsylvania DUI Association, and local police are urging drivers to designate a sober driver before the game begins.
According to preliminary PennDOT data, a 12-hour period during the 2015 Super Bowl, shows there were 309 crashes in Pennsylvania, 19 of those crashes involved an alcohol-impaired driver.
Whether playing host to a party, or attending a gathering at a business, social club, or private residence, PennDOT urges the public to take steps to help keep impaired drivers off the roads.
Some safety tips include:
- Make sure all guests have designated a sober driver before the drinking starts, or help them find alternative transportation;
- Have plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages available;
- Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter, and switch to coffee and dessert;
- Never leave a friend alone if they have had too much to drink and might try to drive;
- Look up the number of local cab companies in advance and keep them handy; and
- Take the keys from anyone who has had too much to drink.
Along with finding a designated driver beforehand, additional tips to ensure safe celebration include:
- Avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast. Eat food, take breaks and have non-alcohol beverages, too;
- For those without a sober, designated driver, call for a cab or stay put. Find out if there is a community, sober ride program before the party starts;
- Download the Safer Ride App for Andriod and Apple phones beforehand and use if it needed. It can help an user find a taxi service, call a friend or family member for assistance, and view of map of their current location; and
- Always buckle up.
For more information on impaired driving, visit www.JustDrivePA.com.
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