Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk Campaign Successful

Preliminary Statistics Show Zero Fatalities on Super Bowl Sunday

Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) and Governor’s Highway Safety Office (GHSO) are pleased to report that preliminary figures show that on Super Bowl Sunday, February 4, there were zero fatalities on Tennessee roadways. Statewide for the entire weekend, between 6 p.m. Friday, February 2 and 11:59 p.m. Sunday, February 4, early reports show there were two fatal crashes, one of which was alcohol related. That number is down from last year when Tennessee recorded eight deaths, one which was alcohol related during the Super Bowl weekend.

“Meeting the goal of zero fatalities on Super Bowl Sunday is significant,” said GHSO Director Kendell Poole. “These numbers are still preliminary but are very encouraging and show that this enforcement campaign was effective.”

DUI arrests were up this Super Bowl Sunday from a year ago. The THP reports that troopers made 44 DUI arrests during the Super Bowl weekend, compared to 25 arrests last year.

“Extensive enforcement and educational efforts were key factors in reducing the number of fatalities on Tennessee roadways this Super Bowl Sunday,” said THP Colonel Mike Walker. “This is a tremendous accomplishment for both the THP and GHSO.”

The GHSO and THP teamed up with the Tennessee Titans NFL Football Team and Metropolitan Nashville Police Department to urge Super Bowl fans to designate sober drivers for their celebrations. The agencies hosted a sober Super Bowl event at LP Field in Nashville to draw attention to the topic and agency officials made appearances on several sports themed television and radio shows across the state. Public Service Announcements urging fans to designate sober drivers also ran on radio stations across Tennessee.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol partnered with local law enforcement agencies across Tennessee to conduct more than 35 sobriety and driver license checkpoints as well as increased line patrols during the February 2 weekend.

The Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk effort in Tennessee is part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), National Football League (NFL), and Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) national campaign.

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