SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — The countdown is on for Super Bowl Sunday. While it’s a time for many of us to celebrate, safety advocates are driving home an important message before the big game.
As cars buzzed along Interstate 81 in Lackawanna County days before the Super Bowl, the concern about buzzed driving on game day is already on the minds of safety advocates.
Alex Grubbs says, “The road to victory on game day ends with you arriving safe.”
Lackawanna College teamed up with PennDOT, the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s office, and other agencies to spread awareness about the dangers of impaired driving.
Plenty of partying is expected Sunday as Philadelphia faces Kansas City for the big game.
“People treat it as if it’s a holiday and a lot of people take work off the next day and go out and enjoy themselves and you know we’re just trying to promote getting home safely, you know, and making the right decisions,” said Drew Marion, head of of the Lackawanna County Highway Safety Program.
Some 2,000 students are enrolled at Lackawanna College and its campuses.
“It’s important for us to be out on the forefront of messages like this, especially with as many students as we have who are commuting every single day and who live here,” said Public Safety Director of Lackawanna College Alex Grubbs.
Pennsylvania has zero-tolerance laws for anyone under 21 convicted of driving impaired.
Penalties include a suspended driver’s license, fines, and jail time.
“It’s certainly going to change the outcome of your life financially and maybe even job-wise, you know, it’s very frightening,” said head football coach of the Lackawanna College Falcons Mark Duda.
“Personally, I think it’s stupid to do it because it doesn’t make any sense,” said student-athlete at Lackawanna College Ben Eisenhower.
DUI is something many of us have witnessed.
“I felt like they didn’t have control of their car which made me feel like I really wouldn’t want to be around them even on the road. Period,” said D’andre Townes-Blue, a student-athlete at Lackawanna College.
PennDOT reports on Super Bowl Sunday 2022, there were 46 DUI-related crashes on state roads. And while that may not seem like much, the impact of those crashes can be far-reaching.
The D.A.’s office prosecutes numerous DUI cases in which innocent victims are injured or worse.
“They’re just coming home from work or going to work and they’re involved in this horrific crash and their lives have changed forever. So that’s what everybody has to think about,” said Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office First Assistant District Attorney Judy Price.
Safety advocates say if you are drinking on game day, your game plan should involve a designated driver or a ride-share service to get you home safely.
