The start of basketball or baseball season is an exciting time, but there’s something standout and unique about Football season. Perhaps its a combination of the crisp fall air, pumpkin-everything and the end of the scorching hot summer, but little gets us as thrilled and feeling as full of life as NFL Sundays. Sadly, we’re here with bad news. You might be wondering what could be wrong about the best time of year? Well, a lot. It is easy to go unnoticed, but the number of drunk drivers on the road increases significantly, by over 13% according to the Department of Transportation, on game days.
Here are some statistics and tips to navigate Football season more carefully:
Stay Away From Stadiums
According to ABC News, 1 in 12 Football game attendees drink enough to be considered over the legal limit of driving. Because of this, you should avoid driving near or past stadiums where games are occurring. Not every region is the same, however. For example, in San Francisco, post-game fatal car accidents increased by approximately 2%. Meanwhile, during home games in Dallas, TX, the city saw over 72% more fatal car accidents.
Not only should you be aware of where you are driving, but you should also pay attention to when. It’s a good idea to see what date and time Football games are happening in your area so you can try to avoid post-game drivers.
Stay Away From Bars & Universities
During game days, it’s best to avoid areas that have a high number of younger populations. This includes areas of your town that may have a greater concentration of bars or where colleges and universities are present. The reason for this is because fans that are 35 and under are 8 times more likely to be impaired during Football games.
If You Are Attending A Game, Here Are Some Tips for You
- Plan ahead for when you want to leave the game. Try to leave either before or after large crowds leave the stadium.
- Remain extra vigilant of drivers until you arrive safely at your destination. Pay special attention to those that are displaying erratic behavior on the road, and steer clear of these drivers.
- Consider taking public transportation. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), taking public transit is 10 to 18 times safer than driving.
- Ride share! Consider taking an Uber or another ride share service or choose a designated driver (DD) to get you home safely, especially if you plan on drinking. Be sure to keep a watchful eye that your DD isn’t drinking much or at all when attending a game.
We all have our own individual roles to play in keeping our communities safe. We hope these tips are helpful to keeping you and your loved ones safe from the dangers of driving with the influence of alcohol or drugs. If you know someone who could benefit from these tips and statistics, please share this article so we can al help in making our roads safer for everyone.
Continue Reading: How Does the Virginia Driving Points System Work
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About Jim Parrish
Jim Parrish’s vision has always been to bring peace to clients whose lives have been turned upside down by their personal injuries and from dealing with unscrupulous insurance companies. With over 20 years of personal injury experience, as well as prior experience working with the insurance companies, Jim is well versed in the tricky ways that insurance companies try to scheme their way out of paying damages to deserving injured persons.
For the first several years of his career, Jim Parrish worked for, provided advice to and represented insurance companies in claims across the nation. However, after seeing the injustice of good people being deprived of fair and reasonable payment for life-changing injuries and damage, Jim decided to use the skills and knowledge he learned from inside the insurance industry to champion the rights of victims of harm and wrongdoing.
Jim’s practice is exclusively limited to personal injury matters arising from car/motorcycle/trucking accidents, dog attacks, products liability, and more.
If you have been involved in a personal injury, call the Parrish Law Firm for a FREE legal consultation today at (571) 229 – 1800 or contact Parrish Law Firm.
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