Super Bowl Sunday: Chips, Popcorn and ... Drunk Driving
27 January 2000
Super Bowl Sunday: Chips, Popcorn and ... Drunk Driving; Auto Club Says Super Bowl Sunday Increases Risk of Alcohol-Related Collisions
LOS ANGELES--Jan. 27, 2000--Nationally, football fans eat an estimated 14,500 tons of chips and 4,000 tons of popcorn on Super Bowl Sunday, according to the NFL.They're also drinking more alcohol and driving. Alcohol-related crash fatalities and injuries were up 20% on Super Bowl Sunday in California for 1999, compared with other Sundays in January and February, says the Automobile Club of Southern California.
The rate was even higher -- as much as 54% -- for Los Angeles and San Diego counties, according to an Auto Club analysis of California Highway Patrol data.
In Orange County, alcohol-related fatalities and injuries were lower on Super Bowl Sunday in 1999, compared with other Sundays in January and February for the second year in a row. "It's unclear, however, whether this represents a real trend or just a random fluctuation," said Steve Bloch, Ph.D., Auto Club senior researcher.
However, Orange County alcohol-related injuries and fatalities are still nearly 50% higher on Super Bowl Sundays over the past 12 years (1988-1999).
The 20% over-representation of alcohol-related deaths and injuries on Super Bowl Sunday in California is down from 33% in 1998. When 1999 is compared with the average rate for the 11 years from 1988 through 1998, the rate is down from 27% to 20%.
"We're pleased that there was an improvement in the 1999 rate of drinking and driving on Super Bowl Sunday compared to other recent years," said Bloch. "Even though we saw a decrease last year, the day remains the top at-home party event of the year. Unfortunately, that continues to mean sharp increases in drinking and driving on that day."
From 1988 through 1999, 75 people were killed and 2,485 people were injured statewide in drinking and driving collisions on Super Bowl Sunday. That works out to an average of 213 people killed or injured in alcohol-related crashes on each game day. In comparison, on an average Sunday in January or February from 1988 through 1999, 168 people were killed or injured in alcohol-related collisions.
Bloch also examined other Super Bowl data, which led to the same conclusion: drinking and driving crashes on Super Bowl Sunday increase sharply. One analysis related the increase in alcohol-related fatalities and injuries on Super Bowl Sunday with the size of the game's TV audience (number of households).
That analysis showed a moderate association between the national Nielsen ratings for the Super Bowl and the level of alcohol-related fatalities and injuries in California from 1988 through 1999.
"That finding is not surprising. The data show that the more people who party during the Super Bowl the more likely they will drink and drive," explained Bloch.
Another analysis showed a small association between the closeness of game score and drinking and driving. "It's probably not a coincidence that the highest rated Super Bowl since the mid-1980s also had the highest rate of drinking and driving in California, with 58% more fatalities and injuries than comparable Sundays," said Bloch. That game was in 1996 when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers by just 10 points.
Bloch said he hopes this study will help increase awareness of the risk of drinking and driving so that DUI crash numbers will continue to shrink this Super Bowl Sunday and in the future.
"Education and increased enforcement have proven to be effective tools in reducing drinking and driving crashes," Bloch said. "We want to create an awareness that holidays such as New Year's Eve aren't the only time to exercise caution. Super Bowl Sunday and other special occasions throughout the year can also prove highly dangerous."
To help keep drivers and passengers safe on Super Bowl Sunday, the Auto Club recommends these tips:
-- Don't drink and drive.
-- Use a designated driver if attending a Super Bowl party.
-- Call a friend or family member or a taxi for a ride if you've
been drinking.
-- If hosting a Super Bowl party, be responsible. Take car keys from
partygoers as they arrive and don't let them drive drunk. Serve
non-alcoholic drinks and encourage each group to have a
designated driver. Serve protein-rich and starchy foods to slow
alcohol absorption.
-- If you observe an erratic driver while on the road, try to stay
behind his or her vehicle and out of harm's way. If it's safe to
do so, pull over and call 911 or alert local police, providing a
detailed description of the vehicle and its location.
The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, insurance products and services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs and legislative advocacy.
Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.
PERSONS KILLED AND INJURED IN ALCOHOL-RELATED
CRASHES ON SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, 1988-1999
California Statewide/a
No. Killed, Average No. Injured, Average No. % Increase
Super Bowl No. Killed, Super Bowl Injured, in deaths
Years Sunday Sundays in Sunday Sundays & injuries
Jan. & in Jan. on Super
Feb./b & Feb./b Bowl Sun.
Average for
1988-1998 6 6 215 168 27.0%
1998 6 3 155 118 33.1%
1999 9 4 126 108 20.4%
Los Angeles County/a
No. Killed, Average No. Injured, Average No. % Increase
Super Bowl No. Killed, Super Bowl Injured, in deaths
Years Sunday Sundays in Sunday Sundays & injuries
Jan. & in Jan. on Super
Feb./b & Feb./b Bowl Sun.
Average for:
1988-1998 2 2 72 54 32.8%
1998 1 1 51 37 36.3%
1999 3 1 41 30 39.7%
(a) Averages are rounded off to nearest whole numbers.
(b) Does not include Jan. 1, which occurred on Sundays in 1989 and
1995.
Orange County/a
No. Killed, Average No. Injured, Average No. % Increase
Super Bowl No. Killed, Super Bowl Injured, in deaths
Years Sunday Sundays Sunday Sundays & injuries
in Jan./ in Jan./ on Super
Feb./b Feb./b Bowl Sun.
Average:
1988-1998 0 0 19 12 50.8%
1998 0 0 5 10 -50.0%
1999 0 0 8 9 -14.7%
San Diego County/a
No. Killed, Average No. Injured, Average No. % Increase
Super Bowl No. Killed, Super Bowl Injured, of deaths
Years Sunday Sundays Sunday Sundays & injuries
in Jan./ in Jan./ on Super
Feb./b Feb./b Bowl Sun.
Average for:
1988-1998 1 0 18 13 41.3%
1998 0 0 15 10 43.8%
1999 1 1 18 12 53.5%
(a) Averages are rounded off to nearest whole numbers.
(b) Does not include Jan. 1, which occurred on Sundays in 1989 and
1995.
Super Bowl Game Audience, Scores and Alcohol-Related Injuries & Crashes
Year Game No. Injury & fatality Point Difference Audience
over-representation/a In Final Score (households)
in millions/b
1996 XXX 58.1% 10 44.15
1998 XXXII 33.1% 7 43.63
1994 XXVIII 29.2% 19 42.86
1997 XXXI 43.3% 14 42.00
1993 XXVII 26.5% 35 41.99
1999 XXXIII 20.4% 15 39.99
1995 XXIX 9.4% 23 39.40
1989 XXIII -12.2% 4 39.32
1991 XXV 36.5% 1 39.01
1988 XXII 23.3% 32 37.12
1992 XXVI 46.1% 13 37.12
1990 XXIV 24.3% 45 35.90
(a) Percentages represent the increase/decrease of alcohol-related
injuries and fatalities in California on Super Bowl Sunday,
compared with other Sundays in January and February.
(b) Data courtesy of Nielsen Media Research.
Note: This table illustrates the study explained in this news
release titled "Auto Club Says Super Bowl Sunday Increases Risk of
Alcohol-Related Collisions."
