Game Plan for Super Bowl 51: Are You Drinking or Are You Driving? This is NOT the time for an option play
Burrillville, RI – The Super Bowl is America’s most watched national sporting event.
On Super Bowl Sunday there will be lots of game day socializing that may include
drinking. That’s why the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT)
and Rhode Island law enforcement agencies are urging football fans to call the play
now: drinking OR driving. If you plan on drinking on Super Bowl Sunday, designate a
sober driver to get you home safely.
At a press conference today at Burrillville High School, Burrillville Chief of
Police Colonel Stephen J. Lynch and Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T Clements,
Jr. joined with Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin and Gabrielle M. Abbate to
advise motorists that law enforcement throughout the state will be on the lookout
for drunk drivers throughout the weekend. Extra patrols will be on the streets and
the presence of the B.A.T. Mobile (Breath Alcohol Testing Mobile Unit) will also be
in operation for police use all weekend long.
Members of the Burrillville High School football team, Rhode Island Division III
Super Bowl Champions, also attended today’s event along with their opponents from
Providence’s Juanita Sanchez/Providence Country Day/Wheeler Co-op.
NHTSA’s Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk campaign encourages people to make plans
ahead of time that will prevent them from getting behind the wheel of a vehicle
after drinking. Driving impaired could result in injury or death for you or others
on the road. In Rhode Island, during the weekends of the Super Bowls between 2014
and 2016, there were 9 serious (incapacitating) injuries resulting from motor
vehicle crashes.
«Drunk driving is completely preventable,» said Lynch. «All it takes is a little
planning. We want fans to remember that it’s a choice. Drink or drive-but never do
both.»
«Super Bowl Sunday is a great day to celebrate, especially when you are watching
your home team in the big game,» said Colonel Clements. «If you are drinking,
designate your driver before the party and enjoy the rest of your night safely.»
For those who plan to drink, leave your keys at home. Designate a sober driver,
whether it’s a friend, relative, taxi, or public transportation. Use NHTSA’s new
SaferRide mobile app. The app helps people who have been drinking get a safe ride
home; it helps users call a taxi or a friend and identifies their location so they
can be picked up. The app is available for Android devices on Google Play, and
Apple devices on the iTunes store.
If you’re the designated driver, be sure to tweet NHTSA your name during Super Bowl
51, and make NHTSA’s Wall of Fame!
For more Super Bowl weekend safety information, visit
www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov/SuperBowl