State Patrol Seeks to Tackle Drunk Drivers

The Georgia State Patrol is joining forces with the National Football League (NFL), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and other state and local law enforcement agencies across the country to remind everyone to designate a sober driver if they plan on drinking alcohol this Super Bowl Sunday.

Colonel Bill Hitchens, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety, said research has shown Super Bowl Sunday is one of the year’s most dangerous days on the nation’s highways due to impaired drivers.
“If alcohol will be in your party plans this weekend, designate your sober driver before the party begins and give that person your car keys,” Hitchens advises. “If you don’t have a designated driver, ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend or family member to come get you; or make plans to stay where you are for the night.”

The Georgia State Patrol will be beefing up patrols Sunday evening during and after the Super Bowl in an effort to reduce the number of impaired drivers on the state’s roads. “Troopers will be concentrating on impaired drivers throughout the evening with road checks and concentrated patrols,” Hitchens said. The Commissioner reminds motorists to report suspected impaired drivers by making a free cell phone call to Star G-S-P (*477). You will be connected to the nearest Georgia State Patrol post.

On Super Bowl Sunday 2007, 48 percent of the traffic deaths across the country occurred in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration level of 0.08 or higher. In contrast, alcohol-impairment was a factor in 32 percent of the traffic deaths throughout all of 2007.

NHTSA also reports that young males age 21 to 34 are most likely to be involved in traffic crashes, to drive impaired, and to be among those least likely to wear their safety belts. Research also shows that this same demographic is the core audience for major sporting events such as the Super Bowl.