Drivers warned to celebrate Super Bowl Sunday safely

Planning on watching the Giants take on the Patriots Sunday with a beer in each hand, and then driving home when the game is over?

You might want to think that plan over a little bit more carefully.

On Thursday, the Illinois Department of Transportation and Illinois State Police
kicked off the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket campaigns for the weekend.

“Traffic volume significantly increases around national events like the Super Bowl, and unfortunately, so does the likelihood of motorists opting to consume alcohol and subsequently drive home,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider. “We strongly advocate safe driving behavior and urge fans to pass their keys to a sober driver before the party begins.”

The Illinois State Police announced it would add troopers in many areas to identify and remove impaired drivers from Illinois roads over the weekend. In addition, law enforcement will focus on safety belt use during late-night hours, when motorists are less likely to buckle up.

“Illinois State troopers will be placing special emphasis on identifying impaired drivers,” said ISP Director Hiram Grau. “We want motorists to drive and arrive at their final destinations safely.”

In the last three years, five motor vehicle fatalities in Illinois occurred on Super Bowl Sunday, and four of the five fatalities involved a driver who had been drinking.

Locally, drunken drivers have not posed an unusual problem on Super Bowl Sunday.

Bureau County Sheriff John Thompson said there has not been a problem in the community in previous years, and his department can’t afford to put extra deputies on the road on Sunday.

Instead, the deputies are reminded that it’s Super Bowl Sunday, and warned it could be a busy and dangerous day.

Thompson said he expects it to be just like any other weekend in terms of drunk drivers.

“In fact, the guys might stay in more,” he said. “I talked with one guy, and he had stocked up on special junk foods and was staying home to enjoy the game.”

Local police aren’t planning additional patrols, either.

“We haven’t seen an increase in drunk driving that would warrant us putting on someone
extra,” said Spring Valley Police Chief Kevin Sangston.