The Turlock Police Department is reminding football fans that if your Super Bowl celebration includes alcohol, make the right decision before kickoff and always have a designated sober driver. This local message to Super Bowl fans joins with the national “Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk” message from the National Football League (NFL), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the HERO Campaign and Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition.
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The Stanislaus County Avoid the 12 DUI Task Force will be deploying special roving DUI patrols in several communities throughout the area looking to stop and arrest drivers who are impaired. These DUI patrols are in addition to regularly scheduled patrol officers, all looking for the tale-tell signs of an intoxicated driver behind the wheel. Funding for the Avoid DUI Task Force is from the California Office of Traffic Safety.
OTS is also sponsoring a DUI Checkpoint at an undisclosed location in Turlock on February 6, 2011 as well as special roving patrols Friday and Saturday nights in Turlock.
“We’re reminding everyone that real Super Bowl Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk,” said Sgt Neil Cervenka. “If your postseason game plan includes alcohol, make sure you have a designated sober driver in your starting line-up. We are asking all party hosts and bar owners to take extra good care of designated sober drivers this year. Designated sober drivers make sure everyone gets home safely. For taking on such an important responsibility, they should be rewarded.”
The Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk message supports the league-wide designated-driver campaign called Responsibility Has Its Rewards. Celebrating its eighth season in 2010, the campaign encourages fans to participate in designated-driver programs supported by beer and concessionaire companies at every NFL stadium nationwide. Throughout the season at all 31 NFL stadiums, more than 170,000 fans made the responsible decision by pledging to be designated drivers this season. Those fans now have a chance to earn the ultimate reward – a trip to Super Bowl XLV® in North Texas at Cowboys Stadium.
The Responsibility Has Its Rewards Super Bowl XLV winners will be the Designated Drivers for the Season from the AFC Champion and NFC Champion teams. And a Designated Driver for the Season from the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers has a chance to attend the 2011 Pro Bowl in Honolulu, HI.
“We want everyone to make the right decision for Super Bowl,” said Sgt Neil Cervenka. “Having a designated sober driver should be an obvious call in everyone’s play book. Making sure designated sober drivers know how much we appreciate their responsible decision is what will make this year’s celebration extra special – and extra safe.”
The American Automobile Association (AAA) is offering their holiday Free Tipsy Tow Home service on Super Bowl Sunday for 2011.
The Tipsy Tow program is open to everyone. You do not need to be an AAA Member to take advantage of this service to the community.
AAA typically offers the service to drinking drivers from 6 p.m. on the holiday to 6 a.m. the following day in Northern California.
During the period Tipsy Tow is available, drivers, potential passengers, party hosts, bartenders, and restaurant managers can call 800-222-4357 (AAA-HELP) for a free tow home of up to ten miles. Just tell the AAA operator, "I need a Tipsy Tow," and a truck will be on its way.
For more information on the AAA Free Tipsy Tow Home service, visit the AAA website www.csaa.com.
