Expect Stepped Up Police Patrols for Super Bowl Weekend

If you’re planning to attend Super Bowl parties or watch the big game at a sports bar Sunday, local police want you to know that they will be stepping up their efforts to keep area roadways safe in anticipation of an increase in the number of drivers impaired by alcohol and/or drugs.

In a news release Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Lehigh Valley DUI/Highway Safety Task Force urged motorists who plan to consume alcohol during Super Bowl weekend festivities “to do so responsibly.”

According to PennDOT data cited in the release, there were 46 drunken driving crashes recorded statewide last year on Super Bowl Sunday and the following Monday before 6 a.m., along with 348 additional crashes statewide.

The Philadelphia Eagles did not play in last year’s Super Bowl, however, and the fact that the team most area residents support will be playing in the biggest televised event of the year will likely mean a significant increase in the number of people heading out to parties.

The news release noted that “police departments throughout the Lehigh Valley are stepping up enforcement activities” as part of the efforts to help keep roads safe, with increased DUI enforcement activities to include both sobriety checkpoints and DUI roving patrols.

A sobriety checkpoint consists of a police-monitored roadblock in a designated area where each vehicle that drives through the location is stopped. Drivers who appear to be driving under the influence of alcohol and/or controlled substances are administered sobriety tests.

Roving patrols watch for motorists who appear to be driving under the influence.

“The Lehigh Valley DUI/Highway Safety Task Force has been in existence for 22 years and is comprised of PennDOT representatives, members of law enforcement, and business and health care communities,” the release said. “It raises public awareness about the dangers of impaired and aggressive driving, as well as the importance of seat belt usage.”

The Super Bowl weekend enforcement initiative is part of Pennsylvania’s Highway Safety Program and funded by part of PennDOT’s investment of federal funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.