Pass the keys to a sober driver before the party begins
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 31, 2018) – Football fans across the country will celebrate America’s most-watched sporting event, Super Bowl LII, on Sunday, Feb. 4.
For many, the Super Bowl celebration will include drinking alcohol, so the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) is teaming with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for a Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk reminder urging football fans to call the right play by passing the keys to a sober driver.
“Drunken driving-related crashes are 100 percent preventable,” said KOHS Executive Director Dr. Noelle Hunter. “The solution is simple: Plan for a designated driver before the party begins.”
Drunken driving can be deadly. With a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, a driver is considered alcohol-impaired, but even a small amount of alcohol can impair judgment and reaction times enough to make driving unsafe.
According to NHTSA, 10,497 people were killed in crashes that involved an impaired driver in 2016. Of those fatalities, 67 percent were crashes in which at least one driver had a .15 BAC, almost twice the legal limit.
“Driving impaired is never worth the risk,” said Hunter. “
With so many sober ride options – public trasnportation, taxis, ride booking programs – there is no excuse.”
In addition, NHTSA’s SaferRide Mobile App is another resource to help fans who have been drinking find a sober ride home by identifying their location and helping to call a taxi or a friend to pick them up. The app is available for Android devices on Google Play and Apple devices on the iTunes store.
“This Super Bowl weekend, be a team player and help keep impaired drivers from getting behind the wheel,” said Hunter. “Remember – Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.”
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