Super Bowl Sunday in San Diego Features Football, Parties and Drinking and Driving; Incidents of Drinking and Driving Increase on Day of Super Bowl

SAN DIEGO--Jan. 2, 20046, 2004--San Diegans face a far greater risk of being killed or injured in drinking and driving-related crashes on Super Bowl Sunday than on other non-holiday Sundays in the months of January and February, according to an analysis by the Automobile Club of Southern California. The Auto Club found that alcohol-related fatalities and injuries have been on average 36 percent higher in San Diego County on the day that the NFL championship game was played from 1992-2003.

In 2003, drinking and driving-related deaths and injuries were up 48 percent. Last year, however, the Super Bowl was played at Qualcomm Stadium and that may be a factor in the higher number of DUI-related deaths and injuries.

Statewide from 1992-2003, alcohol-related fatalities and injuries were 32 percent higher on Super Bowl Sunday. Last year, California DUI fatality and injury over-representation was 13.5 percent higher. From 1999-2003, the death and injury increase has been 25 percent, considerably less than the 36 percent during the previous seven years.

"We're pleased that increases in drinking and driving-related deaths and injuries are slowing in California," said Steven Bloch, Ph.D., the Auto Club's senior research associate. "Unfortunately, for many people, Super Bowl Sunday still includes partying and getting behind the wheel of a car after consuming alcoholic beverages."

For Los Angeles County over the 12-year period, alcohol-related deaths and injuries were 32 percent higher on Super Bowl Sunday. However, last year, the incidents of drinking and driving related deaths and injuries were only 10 percent higher than usual.

In Orange County over the 1992-2003 period, drinking and driving related fatalities and injuries were 43 percent higher on Super Bowl Sunday. However, in 2003, there were 33 percent fewer DUI-related deaths and injuries.

Bloch said he hopes this analysis will help increase awareness of the risk of drinking and driving so that DUI crash numbers will decline this year and in the future. "Education and increased enforcement are effective tools in reducing drinking and driving crashes," Bloch said. "We want to increase awareness that holidays such as New Year's Eve aren't the only times to exercise caution. Super Bowl Sunday and other occasions during the year can prove highly dangerous."

To help keep drivers and passengers safe on Super Bowl Sunday, the Auto Club recommends these tips:

-- Don't drink and drive.

-- Use a designated driver if you attend a Super Bowl party.

-- Call a friend or family member or a taxi for a ride if you have been drinking.

-- If hosting a Super Bowl party, be responsible. Take car keys from partygoers as they arrive and don't let them drive drunk. Serve non-alcoholic drinks and encourage each group to have a designated driver. Serve protein-rich and starchy foods to slow alcohol absorption.

If you observe an erratic driver while on the road, try to stay behind their vehicle and out of harm's way.

The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest AAA affiliate, has been serving members since 1900. Today, Auto Club members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services and automotive pricing, buying and financing programs. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa.com.