Dangerous Day to Hit the Road

Police officers up and down California know that the Super Bowl will give lots of people an excuse to get super-drunk.

"Super Bowl Sunday is one of the most dangerous days on American highways," Petaluma police Sgt. Ken Savano told Bay City News.

"We want to pass our safety message to everyone who will be drinking this weekend: real fans don’t let fans drive drunk," Milpitas Police Chief Graham added. 

So instead of watching the big game, most city officers, county sheriffs and member of the highway patrol will be hitting the road in the hunt for impaired drivers.

Many will conduct what they call saturation patrols starting at half-time and continued past the final countdown of the game clock.

Police have reason to be on alert.  On this date in 2008, 49 percent of the crashed that ended in fatalities where caused a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or higher, Savano said.

Eleven people were killed in California on Super Bowl Sunday last year and 133 were hurt in alcohol-involved collisions. The deaths were three times the daily average with alcohol as a factor and the injuries were twice the daily average, Savano said.

If you see someone driving drunk, police want you to call 911 with a location and description of the vehicle.

Contact Us