The Baltimore Ravens may have come up short in their pursuit of a championship, but the Maryland State Police know there will still be plenty of people hosting and attending Super Bowl parties this Sunday.
Troopers are reminding motorists to enjoy the game, but avoid driving impaired when going to or leaving from their destination. Troopers from each of the 23 Maryland State Police barracks will continue to focus enforcement efforts on impaired driving, aggressive driving, speeding, distracted driving and other violations that often contribute to highway tragedies. Additional troopers will be working overtime assignments Sunday thanks in part to funding from highway safety grants from the Maryland Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office.
State troopers will be using a variety of patrol initiatives on Super Bowl Sunday to keep traffic moving, respond quickly to highway incidents and take appropriate enforcement action when violations are observed that threaten the safety of travelers.
Along with the saturation patrols, some of the initiatives planned by Maryland State Police include:
- A combined enforcement effort by the Golden Ring, Westminster and Waterloo barracks.
- Seat belt and distracted driving initiatives all weekend by the Cumberland Barrack
- Crash reduction and DUI enforcement along US 40, MD 272 and MD 273 by the North East Barrack.
- Additional coverage along Routes 50 and 404 by the Easton Barrack
- Aggressive enforcement operations for DUI and traffic violations on US Routes 301, 20 and 50 by the Centreville Barrack.
- McHenry Barrack troopers, when not handling calls to service, will also focus on areas of bar and liquor establishments on Route 219 extending to Oakland, Maryland.
Last year on Super Bowl Sunday, Maryland State Police made 44 DUI arrests, nine criminal arrests and 12 drug-related arrests. Troopers also issued 1,197 citations and 1,001 warnings and responded to 85 crashes and 1,391 calls for service on that day last year.
Among those assisting with this initiative will be the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort, or SPIDRE team. The targeted law enforcement program was launched in May 2013 and focuses on reducing alcohol related crashes in Maryland by targeting areas across the state with high crash rates involving impaired drivers.
According to the Maryland Highway Safety Office, between 2014 and 2018 an average of 159 lives were lost and 3,190 were injured across the state in crashes involving impaired drivers. In addition, an average of 169 people died and 26,645 more were injured each year in Maryland due to distracted driving over the same period. Please don’t drive impaired, distracted or aggressively over the holiday travel season.
If you are attending a Super Bowl gathering:
- Designate your sober driver in advance and give that person your car keys.
- If you’re planning on driving, avoid drinking.
- Consider using public transportation, call a taxi or use a ride-share service.
- Don’t let a friend drive if you think they are impaired.
- If you see someone who you believe is driving impaired, call police.
- Always buckle up.
- Don’t text, use a cellphone that is not hands-free or drive distracted.
If you are hosting a Super Bowl gathering:
- Remember, you can be held liable if someone you served alcohol to ends up in an impaired-driving crash.
- Serve plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages
- Ensure sober drivers or alternative modes of transportation are set up in advance for guest who are planning to drink alcoholic beverages.
- Have contact information for local taxi companies and/or ride-share services readily available.
- Take away the keys from anyone who is thinking of driving impaired.
Troopers are urging motorists to avoid impaired driving and plan for a designated driver or a sober ride home. Help us keep Maryland highways safe this Super Bowl Sunday.
