TDOT, THP & Tennessee Titans Remind Tennesseans: Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk This Super Bowl Sunday

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Transportation Governor’s Highway Safety Office, Tennessee Titans and Tennessee Department of Safety are once again teaming up to remind Tennessee football fans that real Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk this Super Bowl weekend. 

 

“When it comes to preventing drunk driving, we’re all part of the team,” said TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely. “Designating a sober driver this weekend is the best way to ensure everyone has a safe Super Bowl experience.”

 

Thousands of Titans fans stepped up this season to keep roadways safe. More than 6,000 Titans fans promised to be the designated driver for friends and family during the 2009 season, making the Titans the top team in the AFC South for designated driver pledges.  Today, the Titans, TDOT’s GHSO and the Department of Safety honored some of those designated drivers with an exclusive tour of LP Field.

 

“In addition to supporting the Titans this past football season, these fans made a very important commitment – one that saves lives,” said GHSO Director Kendell Poole. “By pledging to be a designated driver, they made sure their friends and family had a safe ride home from LP Field and did their part to keep Tennessee roads free of impaired drivers.”

 

Titans fans joined more than 150,000 NFL fans in the Designated Driver program, which is a collaboration among all 32 NFL teams, 31 stadiums, concessionaires, beer distributors and brewers, broadcasters, law enforcement agencies, and traffic safety experts.

 

“We’re proud of our fans’ dedication to responsible behavior this season and we want all football fans to follow their leadership this weekend,” added Don MacLachlan, Titans Executive Vice President of Administration and Facilities. “Handing your keys to a sober driver or taking a cab will always make you a winner.”

 

“The careless actions of a drunk driver can turn a Super Bowl celebration into a tragedy,” said Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. “When Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk, all Tennesseans come out winners.”

 

According to the Department of Safety, Troopers arrested 46 people for driving under the influence during the 2009 Super Bowl weekend. Between Friday, January 30, 2009 and Sunday, February 1 at 11:59 p.m. there were 6 people killed on Tennessee roadways. Two of those deaths occurred in alcohol related crashes. That’s down significantly from 2008 when there were 14 fatal crashes during the Super Bowl weekend.

 

“Our game plan is to take as many impaired drivers off the road before they take a life on our roadways,” added THP Colonel Mike Walker. “Troopers will be out in force to make sure everyone has a safe Super Bowl weekend.”

 

“We want everyone to make the right call for the Super Bowl by passing their keys to a sober driver,” added Poole. “If you’re hosting a party, make sure your celebration doesn’t end in tragedy. Designate a sober driver and have phone numbers for local taxi services on hand for those who’ve had too much to drink.”

 

For more information, please visit www.StopImpairedDriving.org or www.TeamCoalition.org.

 

A listing of THP sobriety and drivers license checkpoints is attached to this release and can be found at www.tn.gov/safety/newsroom.htm.

 

 

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