Departments Of Health, Safety Warn Tennesseans Against Impaired Driving on Super Bowl Sunday

NASHVILLE – This weekend millions of people will be driving to a Super Bowl party to watch the biggest football game of the year. The Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security urge all Tennesseans to be safe on the roadways this Sunday and every other day of the year. 

  ‘’Most of us have fun watching the Super Bowl and enjoy a good time, but we want everyone to be safe before, during and after the game, so we encourage you to be moderate in food and drink and absolutely not to drive impaired by alcohol or     any other drug,’’ said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. ‘’Be especially aware that many drugs people take regularly can cause impairment when mixed with alcohol or all by themselves and don't let a great American night of fun and   fellowship end in tragedy."

   ‘’One of the top priorities of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is to ensure Tennesseans are safe and secure on our roadways,” said Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons. ‘’We    are always enforcing traffic laws and looking for impaired drivers and Super Bowl Sunday will be no exception.’’

   To avoid a tragic crash or an arrest for impaired driving, designate a sober driver and don’t let friends or family members drive impaired.

   “In 2015, there were more than 4,000 alcohol-related traffic crashes in Tennessee, down significantly from previous years and last year we had the second-lowest number of traffic fatalities since 1963,” said Gibbons. “We are very pleased to see these numbers go down, but our goal is to see an even bigger improvement and save more lives in 2016.”