DUI Patrols to Hit the Streets for Super Bowl Sunday

As football fans rally for Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, Los Angeles County enforcement will be patrolling the streets for signs of intoxicated drivers.

The Avoid the 100 is again coordinating an anti-DUI campaign during the nationally televised Super Bowl this Sunday, Feb. 5 in communities across Los Angeles County. The DUI patrols will join regularly scheduled patrol officers in looking for signs of an intoxicated driver.

In 2010, more than 10,000 people were killed in traffic accidents that involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration level of .08 or higher, according to an Avoid the 100 press statement. In California, 791 deaths occurred as a result of a DUI.

The county campaign joins the national “Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk” message of the National Football League and state and national traffic safety organizations.

The anti-DUI national campaign encourages fans to participate in designated driver programs sponsored by beer and concessionaire companies. The Responsibilities Has Its Rewards program randomly selects designated drivers from the AFC Champion and NFC Champion teams. Winners attended the 2012 Pro Bowl in Honolulu, HI.

“We’re reminding everyone that real Super Bowl Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk,” said Glendora Police Chief, Rob Castro. “We are asking all party hosts and bar owners to take extra care of designated sober drivers this year. Drafting a designated driver this weekend will be the correct play call for a sure win.”

Motorists are encouraged to report drunk drivers by calling 9-1-1.

More information can be found on NHTSA’s Super Bowl XLVI page; Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk; and OTS's California Avoid DUI

The Avoid the 100 DUI campaign offers the following tips in hosting a safe Super Bowl party:

• Make sure all of your guests designate their sober drivers before kick-off or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers
• Find unique ways to recognize the designated drivers at your party
• Give them a great spot to watch the game
• Whatever non-alcoholic beverage they are drinking, make sure their glass is always full
• Let them have the first pass at the buffet table Make sure their cars are easy to access when it is time to start driving people home
• Serve plenty of food
• Offer a variety of non-alcoholic choices like non-alcohol beers, soft drinks, juice, and water
• Serve one drink at a time and serve measured drinks
• Only serve alcohol to guests over 21 years of age
• Determine ahead of time when you’ll stop serving alcohol, such as one hour before the end of the party or at the end of the third quarter of the game (just like NFL stadiums) and begin serving coffee and dessert
• Add the numbers of local cab companies into your phone so they are just one touch away
• Take appropriate steps to prevent anyone from driving while impaired Be prepared for guests to spend the night if an alternative way home is not available