Super Bowl Sunday is a couple of days away and I’m not sure about you all, but you won’t find me in the stands. The average ticket price for the upcoming Super Bowl LVII in Los Angeles is currently $9,496!
For football fans, even those whose team didn’t make it in, the Super Bowl is a chance to watch the two best teams face off. For everyone else, it’s a reason to gather with friends and family, socialize, eat, share a drink, and be entertained by the commercials and halftime show.
Whether you plan to go to the game, attend a Super Bowl party, or stay home, one thing is for sure: there will be alcohol consumption, lots of it. According to The Huffington Post, “Americans slug 323.5 million gallons of beer on Super Bowl Sunday.”
Year after year, Super Bowl Sunday ranks as one of the most dangerous days of the year for drunk driving deaths and continually ranks as one of the days with the highest DUI arrests across the country.
The Numbers: Super Bowl and Drunk Driving
- According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly half (47%) of all U.S. traffic deaths during the 2017 Super Bowl involved drunk drivers.
- Residents in Los Angeles and Cincinnati should be extra careful. Statistically, residents who live in cities associated with the teams playing in the Super Bowl experience an even bigger spike in DUIs, DWIs, and other drunk driving-related incidents. In 2015, when the Patriots played in the Super Bowl, violations in New England were twice as high as the rest of the country.
- Data from Alcohol Monitoring Systems (AMS), which analyzes the drinking behavior of repeat DUI offenders, found that drinking violations by previous drunk driving offenders increase an average of 22% nationwide on Super Bowl Sunday, which is particularly concerning for others on the road.
One more statistic: 10 million of you will call off of work Monday.
Have a Game Plan
Law enforcement officials are well aware of the spike in drinking and driving on Super Bowl Sunday. Police typically increase patrols and are on high alert, looking for any sign of intoxication or impairment on the roads. Have a game plan and follow these simple tips for a safe, fun, and enjoyable evening:
Do Not Drive Drunk or Drug-Impaired
If you plan to drink away from home, do not drive. Choose a reliable designated driver, call a rideshare service, or consider staying where you are overnight. If you need to, leave your car where it is and get it in the morning. A $75 parking ticket, or even paying to get your car from the impound, is much better than getting into an accident and hurting yourself or other innocent motorists. Consequences for a DUI can include up to one year in jail, license suspension, and more than $13,500 after considering fines, legal fees, and increased insurance costs. It’s just not worth it!
Be A Hostess with the Mostess
If hosting a party for this year’s Super Bowl, prepare plenty of snacks and non-alcoholic drinks for guests and the designated drivers, and never serve alcohol to minors. Likewise, if someone you know has been drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel – take away their keys, help them arrange a sober ride home, or offer your couch or spare bedroom.
Designated Drivers: The Real MVPs
If you are the designated driver, keep an eye out for drunk drivers. Some signs that a motorist is impaired include tailgating, driving with no headlights at night, driving well below the speed limit, stopping or slowing for no reason, leaving turn signals on, quick acceleration and deceleration, weaving across lanes, driving off the road, making illegal driving maneuvers, or slow response to traffic signals.
If you notice a drunk driver on the road, take the necessary steps to protect yourself and others from harm, but do not take matters into your own hands. Keep yourself safe by staying as far away from the impaired driver as you can. Try your best to read the license plate and gather as many details about the vehicle as you can, including make, model, color, condition, and any identifiable characteristics. Call 911 to report the drunk driver to the nearest law enforcement agency. If you need to, pull over and call from the side of the road. You can also call *CSP (star 277) to reach the Colorado State Patrol. Or you can go straight to the drunk driving hotline by dialing *DUI (star 384).
Give the operator the location of the vehicle, any cross streets, and the direction the car is headed. Law enforcement will do their best to identify and locate the driver.
Know Your Car Accident Procedure
Since the chances of being injured by a drunk driver on Super Bowl Sunday increases significantly, be prepared and refamiliarize yourself with the proper steps to take if you get into an auto collision. Even if you are not seriously injured, call the police. A properly documented accident/police report is crucial for any auto insurance claim.
Our Denver Car Accident Attorneys Can Help If You’ve Been Injured
If you have been injured by a drunk driver, please contact us. We will answer your questions and walk you through your legal rights and options during a complimentary, no-obligation consultation. The legal team at SettleUp has represented victims in every type of motor vehicle accident in Colorado, and has recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our clients. We know know how to expertly negotiate with the insurance company, who are notorious for making the claims and settlement process difficult, drawn-out, and confusing. Our injury lawyers help clients throughout the state of Colorado, including Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Lakewood, Pueblo, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs.