LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Police Department will be out in
force today to combat the deadliest day of drunken driving each year: Super
Bowl Sunday.
Authorities said that in the last two years, drunken driving crashes killed more people on Super Bowl Sunday than on any other day of the year, according to the Orange County Register.
"The LAPD encourages everyone to support their favorite team and enjoy
the company of friends and family, but to always drink responsibly and use a
designated driver," Officer Don Inman of the Traffic Coordination Section
said.
"The department also wants to remind drivers stopped for being drunk behind the wheel of the consequences -- heavy fines and jail time. Anyone who observes a drunk driver can help make our streets safer by calling 911."
The LAPD will conduct drunken driving "saturation patrols" around the city, Inman said.
In Orange County, the sheriff's department will also have roving patrols looking for drunken drivers, according to the Register.
Last year, drunken driving resulted in 11 people being killed in California on Super Bowl Sunday -- three times the daily average, officials said. And 163 were injured, more than twice the daily average, the Register reported.
Alcohol causes a disproportionate amount of traffic deaths on Super Bowl Sunday. In 2008, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for 32 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic facilities.
On Super Bowl Sunday that year, 49 percent of the fatalities occurred in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advises fans watching the game between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints at a bar, restaurant or party to designate a sober driver before the party begins; avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast; and to call a friend, family member or taxi if you do not have a designated driver.
Authorities also remind the public to wear seat belts, the best defense against impaired drivers.
Funding for the Los Angeles Police Department's Super Bowl Sunday drunken driving saturation patrols is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
Authorities said that in the last two years, drunken driving crashes killed more people on Super Bowl Sunday than on any other day of the year, according to the Orange County Register.
"The department also wants to remind drivers stopped for being drunk behind the wheel of the consequences -- heavy fines and jail time. Anyone who observes a drunk driver can help make our streets safer by calling 911."
The LAPD will conduct drunken driving "saturation patrols" around the city, Inman said.
In Orange County, the sheriff's department will also have roving patrols looking for drunken drivers, according to the Register.
Last year, drunken driving resulted in 11 people being killed in California on Super Bowl Sunday -- three times the daily average, officials said. And 163 were injured, more than twice the daily average, the Register reported.
Alcohol causes a disproportionate amount of traffic deaths on Super Bowl Sunday. In 2008, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for 32 percent of the total motor vehicle traffic facilities.
On Super Bowl Sunday that year, 49 percent of the fatalities occurred in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advises fans watching the game between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints at a bar, restaurant or party to designate a sober driver before the party begins; avoid drinking too much alcohol too fast; and to call a friend, family member or taxi if you do not have a designated driver.
Authorities also remind the public to wear seat belts, the best defense against impaired drivers.
Funding for the Los Angeles Police Department's Super Bowl Sunday drunken driving saturation patrols is provided by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
