Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk
Super Bowl Sunday, February 6 this year, is on the horizon and the media frenzy surrounding it is beginning. To spotlight alcohol’s negative effects on a person physically, a group of Oregon traffic safety entities are holding an event demonstrating alcohol impairment.
The Insurance Information Institute says that Super Bowl Sunday has traditionally been second only to New Year’s Eve as the deadliest alcohol-related traffic accident day of the year.
At the special event being held on February 2 in Kaizer, Oregon, volunteers will drink differing amounts of alcohol at the “Super Bowl HVE Media – Wet Lab”, and police officers will give them field sobriety tests to demonstrate how alcohol may affect their driving. The volunteers will be tested with field sobriety tests that are given during traffic stops, such as the one-leg stand test, the walk and turn test, and the horizontal gaze nystagmus eye test.
When: February 2, 2011/12 to 4:30pm
What: Volunteers will start drinking alcohol at 9:30am and field sobriety tests will begin at 1pm
Where: Keizer Civic Center, 930 Chemawa Road NE, Keizer, OR
Oregon will be increasing traffic enforcement activities across the state during Super Bowl Weekend February 5-6. To help focus attention on the national “Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk” campaign, these Oregon organizations are supporting this special event: Oregon Governor’s Advisory Committee on DUII, Oregon Dept. of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST), Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Salem Police Dept., Keizer Police Dept. and Oregon State Police.
If you think that drivers are the only ones needing to watch their drinking during Super Bowl, think again. If you are throwing a gathering at your home or hosting a commercial event at your business, Oregon has laws on the books concerning liability and drunk driving.
When a drunk driver causes an injury accident in Oregon, a competent Oregon drunk driving accident attorney can advise a victim or victim’s family on the possibility of suing the person or bar who served the alcohol. This must be done correctly, and quickly. There are strict time limits for filing a lawsuit in Oregon, and where alcohol is involved, the limits get even stricter, which makes it important to seek the advice of an Oregon drunk driving accident attorney. A Dram Shop Notice must be received by the server within 180 days of the incident, pursuant to ORS 47.565.
Drunk Driving Prevention
We’ll be watching the Super Bowl game like millions of others in America. But if drinking that day is part of your plan, here are some tips to be smart and safe.
• Ask somebody, who will not be drinking, to be your designated driver before you pour your first drink, and don’t carry your car keys with you.
• Slow down your drinking. Fast drinking, fast drunk. Alternate drinking and eating some food. Have a glass of water or iced tea every hour.
• Promise yourself that when the 3rd Quarter ends, so will your drinking. You’ll catch a lot more action during the 4th Quarter without a beer in your hand.
• Before Super Bowl rolls around, put the phone number of a cab company into your cell phone. You may find other times when it’ll come in handy too.
And if you are with a friend who has had too much to drink, make sure they don’t drive home. They may never make it there.
