2020 Driving Prevention

Super Bowl LIV Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk

FACT SHEET & TALKING POINTS

This Super Bowl season, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is teaming up with Town of Southampton to remind football fans and Super Bowl partygoers that designated drivers are the best defense against the dangers of drunk driving. Super Bowl LIV falls on Sunday, February 2, 2020. If your night involves alcohol, plan for a sober ride home. If you’re hosting the party, take care of your designated drivers. Whether you’re the designated driver, heading out for a night at a party or bar, or hosting a Super Bowl party, we want to remind everyone that Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.

If you plan to drive: Don’t drink

Be a sober designated driver, help save lives. Remember these tips on game night:

Take your role as designated driver seriously — your friends are relying on you. While at the party, enjoy food and non-alcoholic drinks. Refrain from any alcoholic beverages or 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 your passengers to do the same. Don’t start the car until all passengers’ seat belts are buckled.

Remember: Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk. If someone you know has been drinking and tries to drive, take their keys and help them get home safely. Even if they make a fuss in the moment, they’ll thank you later.

If you plan to drink: Don’t drive

Before you ever leave the house, make a plan for having a fun, safe night out. Follow these safety tips, and you’ll be on your way to your own Super Bowl win.

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.
Remember that alcohol isn’t the only substance that can keep you from driving safely: Marijuana, like many other drugs, affects a driver’s ability to react to their surroundings. Driving is a complex task, and marijuana can slow reaction time, affecting the driver’s ability to drive safely.
Make sure your designated driver is actually sober. If he or she decides to drink unexpectedly, call a cab or someone else who you know hasn’t been drinking.
Encourage your designated driver: Tweet his or her name to @NHTSAgov to add their name to the Wall of Fame.
Don’t let friends (and fans) drive drunk. Have other partygoers been drinking? Help arrange a safe way for them to get home, too.
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.
Remember, walking impaired can also be dangerous. Designate a sober friend to walk home with you.
If you find yourself unable to get home safely, tell the host you would like to stay the night.
Use your community’s sober ride program [Insert your local sober ride program specifics here].

If you’re hosting the Super Bowl party:

Want to win the night? Be sure all of your guests have a sober ride home.

Ask your guests to designate their sober drivers in advance, or help them coordinate with other partygoers’ designated drivers.
If you don’t drink, offer to drive guests home or offer to have them stay with you.
Encourage your drinking guests to pace themselves, eat food, and drink plenty of water.
Serve a selection of non-alcoholic drinks.
Make the designated driver feel like a real MVP — tweet the driver’s name to @NHTSAgov, and they’ll make the designated driver Wall of Fame. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #DesignatedDriver.
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 ruin your night by becoming another statistic.

In 2018, there were 10,511 people killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes, accounting for 29% of all crash fatalities.

The consequences of drunk driving can often be not only fatal — they can be expensive too. Drunk drivers face jail time, the loss of their driver’s license, higher insurance rates, and many other unanticipated expenses, including attorney’s fees, court costs, car towing, and lost wages due to time off from work. In fact, the average DUI court case costs approximately $10,000.

Know your state’s laws: Refusing to take a breath test in many jurisdictions can result in arrest, loss of your driver’s license, and impoundment of your vehicle. Not to mention the embarrassment of explaining your situation to family, friends, and employers.

10 Night Driving Tips

Keep Windshield and Windows Clean
Limiting the glare from other headlights is very important. A dirty windshield will make matters far worse. Try polishing glass with newspaper to remove all residue.
Clean and Adjust Exterior Mirrors
Dirty mirrors are just like a dirty windshield and can reflect and distort light that distracts the driver. So keep them sparkling clean.
Aim Headlights
Even in brand new vehicles, headlights are sometimes uneven or pointed lower than necessary. Take the time to review your owner’s manual and aim them correctly so they’ll light up the roadway as best as possible.
Turn Down Dash Lights
Today’s vehicles come equipped with infotainment systems and more. These can bring a lot of unnecessary distracting sources of light into the cabin and diminish your vision. At night, turn down your dash lights to the lowest setting.
Don’t Stare at Oncoming Lights
Bright lights aimed at your eyes can be distracting and fatiguing. Turn your gaze away from other lights on the road, and don’t look at oncoming high beams. If a car behind you has its high beams on, use the switch on your rearview mirror to move it to reflect light backward to alert the driver, and to get the reflection away from your own eyes.
Slow Down
When driving at night, especially on rural roads that are not well lit, slow down. Obey the speed limit or drive slightly under the limit — this gives you ample time to react should you need to.
Follow Indicators to Find the Roadway
At night, road markings can be nearly invisible. To find the roadway in the distance, rely on the traffic ahead of you, watching which way it curves. In addition, utility poles, reflective street signs, and houses with lights can all serve as indicators for the shape and path of the roadway ahead.
Maintain Enough Following Distance
Never tailgate, but it’s especially dangerous to do so at night. Maintain a safe following distance so you have plenty of time to react should something unexpected happen on the road.
Use High Beams Appropriately
On back roads that are poorly lit you’ll be able to see much better by using your high beams, but only if driving on a relatively open road. Just make sure you switch them off when you see another vehicle approaching — you don’t want to blind another driver which can cause a collision.
Scan Intersections and Crosswalks
Your vision is compromised at night. Be extra vigilant when approaching an intersection to look out for other cars. The same applies to crosswalks, where you’ll want to be on the alert for difficult-to-spot pedestrians. In fact, 75% of pedestrian fatalities occur after dark, according to AAA.