Opinion

Don't be a loser on Super Sunday

Monday, January 27, 2003

Someone will win on Sunday, and someone will lose. Whichever NFL team you are rooting for, make sure you're not one of the "losers" who finds themselves causing an alcohol-related traffic accident.

The Mothers Against Drunk Driving are among the many groups urging Nebraskans to celebrate safely by designating a sober driver and offering non-alcoholic beverages at parties to ensure that friends and family members arrive home safely.

There is good reason for caution.

Super Bowl Sunday is one of the deadliest days for alcohol-related crashes, ranking highly with New Year's Day and the Fourth of July.

According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 52 percent of all fatal traffic crashes involved alcohol during Super Bowl Sunday in 2001.

In 1998, alcohol-related crashes cost the state of Nebraska approximately a half-billion dollars. Alcohol-related crashes are deadlier and more serious than other crashes. It is estimated that people other than the drinking driver paid almost a half of a billion dollars of the alcohol-related crash bill.

"There are no winners when it comes to drinking and driving," said MADD Nebraska State Chair Cheri Klevemann. "Because the crime of drunk driving is 100 percent preventable, it is imperative that everyone takes responsibility for their actions to designate a sober driver during Super Bowl festivities and year-round.

MADD wants everyone on the roadways to know that their best defense against a drunk driver is to wear our safety belts," Klevemann said. If all drivers will follow MADD's advice for Super Bowl Sunday, no one will have to lose.

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