Maryland State Police: MAKE THE RIGHT CALL BEFORE THE GAME BEGINS

MAKE THE RIGHT CALL BEFORE THE GAME BEGINS....
 DESIGNATE A SOBER DRIVER

(PIKESVILLE, MD)— As Super Bowl Sunday quickly approaches, troopers suggest fans take the time now to make the right call to save lives and designate a sober driver because friends don’t let fans drink and drive.

Maryland state troopers are anticipating fans will be traveling on Super Bowl Sunday to and from different locations to enjoy the game. With this in mind, Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police, has directed each of the 22 barracks to conduct saturation patrols focusing on impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers. Additional troopers will be assigned to these enforcement efforts on special assignment duty and overtime. Also deployed will be the team known as the State Police Impaired Driving Effort, or S.P.I.D.R.E. Team.

“Motorists should plan ahead and designate a sober driver for the game,” said Colonel Marcus L. Brown, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police. “There will be zero tolerance for anyone who elects to jeopardize the safety of others and chooses to drive while impaired.”
If you’re attending a Super Bowl party or watching the game at a sports bar or restaurant:

-Designate your sober driver, or plan another way to get home safely before the party begins.

 -If you don’t have a designated driver, then ask a sober friend for a ride home; call a cab, friend, or family member to come and get you; or just stay for the night.

 -Never let friends drive if they have had too much to drink.


Last year, on Super Bowl Sunday, troopers arrested 24 drunk drivers. Driving with a blood alcohol content of .07 (driving while impaired) is illegal in Maryland and .08 (driving under the influence) or higher is illegal in every state. A driver under the age of 21, with any measurable alcohol in their system is in violation of alcohol laws in Maryland.

 S.P.I.D.R.E is a full time team of troopers dedicated to removing impaired drivers off the roads statewide. The S.P.I.D.R.E team will be assigned to the Baltimore Metropolitan area during this initiative. In many other areas of the state, the Super Bowl enforcement initiatives will be joint operations with local law enforcement.

 Law enforcement will conduct saturation patrols on roads designated as high crash areas. These patrols are effective methods to prevent impaired or aggressive driving as well as a successful means to arrest those who choose to drink and drive.

 The additional state police patrols coincide with the Maryland Highway Safety Office initiative “Towards Zero Death.” Overtime funding for additional patrols is provided by grants from the Maryland Highway Safety Office. 

Maryland State Police