Mothers Against Drunk Driving: Sober Drivers for Superbowl Sunday

From MADD East Bay:

As football fans across the country gear up for Super Bowl XLVII, Mothers
Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is urging party-goers to have a plan for how they’ll get home with a sober designated driver… before the festivities get underway.

“MADD’s game-day partnership with the NFL encourages fans ‘to play the most important position in the NFL: the designated driver,’” said MADD National President Jan Withers.

Super Bowl Sunday continually ranks as the second most dangerous time of the year for drunk driving fatalities, just behind New Year’s Day. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 43 percent of all traffic fatalities on Super Bowl Sunday (and the early hours of the following morning) are caused by drunk driving, compared to an average of 31 percent for the year as
a whole. “This Sunday is the time to take action and reverse this troubling trend of an uptick in drunk driving after the big game,” continued Withers.

In addition to party-goers designating a sober driver before kick-off, party hosts can do their part to keep their friends and family safe too. Here are some tips for hosting a safe Super Bowl party:

• Plan activities like party games or door prize drawings to engage people and reduce alcohol consumption.
• Offer non-alcoholic drink options for designated drivers and those who are under age 21.
• Provide plenty of food to avoid guests drinking on an empty stomach and getting intoxicated more quickly.
• Be ready to step in if a guest has had too much to drink — offer to drive them home, arrange for a ride with a sober guest, call a taxi, or invite them to spend the night.

“From living rooms to stadiums, the message is the same: plan ahead for a safe way home,” added Withers. “Since MADD began partnering with the NFL on the game-day designated driver program in 2010, MADD has helped teams increase their designated driver sign-ups by an average of 28 percent per year. That’s a direct translation to lives saved and injuries prevented.”

The game-day program enhances teams’ existing designated driver programs with a pre-game MADD presence outside the stadiums, distribution of information cards inside, and an audio PSA. MADD and the NFL first announced their partnership in May 2010, and the game-day designated driver program
has grown from two pilot teams to a total of 11 teams this season: Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins.

For more information about MADD’s partnership with the NFL, visit www.madd.org/nfl.