Each year, the Super Bowl garners millions of viewers, with many taking the opportunity to cheer on their favorite team with a night out or by attending a party. To help keep Americans safe on the roads, the Sarasota Police Department is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to remind football enthusiasts that Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk. This year, the Big Game falls on Sunday, February 12, 2023. If you plan to drink alcohol, plan for a sober ride home. If you’re hosting a party, take care of your guests. Keep reading for tips on how to stay safe on Super Bowl Sunday.

Designated Drivers

• Take your role as designated driver seriously — people are relying on you. If you’re attending a party, enjoy the food and nonalcoholic drinks. Refrain from any alcoholic beverages or other drugs.
  
  
• Boast about your MVP status on social media using the hashtag #DesignatedDriver. Your positive influence could help keep other sober drivers on the right track.
  
  
• Always buckle your seat belt and require any passengers to do the same. Don’t start the car until all passengers’ seat belts are buckled.
  
  
• If someone you know has been drinking and tries to drive, take their keys and help them get home safely. They may complain, but they’ll thank you later.

Prepare for a Safe Huddle

If you plan to attend a party, make sure your evening includes a plan for getting home safely. Follow these safety tips, and you’ll be on your way to being an MVP.

• You know the rules: It’s illegal to drive drunk. Before you head out to a Super Bowl party, make a game plan that includes a sober driver — someone who will not drink at all, and will safely bring you home.
  
  
• Make sure your designated driver is actually sober. If he or she decides to drink unexpectedly, call a sober ride.  
  
  
• When you ride home with your sober driver, make sure you — and your driver — wear your seat belts. It’s your best defense in a crash.

Hosts

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party, be sure all your guests have a sober ride home. 

• Ask your guests to designate their sober drivers in advance.
  
  
• Encourage your drinking guests to pace themselves, eat food, and drink plenty of water.
  
  
• Serve a selection of nonalcoholic drinks.

• Do not serve alcohol to minors. If an underage person drinks and drives, the person who provided the alcohol can be held liable for any damage, injury, or death caused by the underage driver. In fact, you can face jail time if you host a party where alcohol is served to people under the age of 21.

Know the Risks

Impaired driving is a serious problem with serious consequences. Don’t become another statistic.

• In 2020, there were 11,654 people killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes.

• Drunk driving can have a range of consequences, including the possibility of causing a traumatic crash. These crashes could cause you, someone you love, or a total stranger to suffer serious injuries or even death. The social and emotional ramifications of drunk driving are far-reaching as well; imagine having to live with the knowledge that you made a choice that caused someone else’s injury or death.
  
  
• The financial impact from impaired-driving crashes is devastating on our economy. Based on 2010 numbers (the most recent year for which cost data is available), impaired-driving crashes cost the United States $44 billion annually. 

For Super Bowl LVII, be a team player and remember: Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.