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TxDOT REMINDS FOOTBALL FANS TO MAKE A SOBER RIDE GAME PLAN
- Updated: October 14, 2014
Alcohol-related crashes in Texas rise on game days
AUSTIN As the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners kick off their long-standing football rivalry this weekend, the Texas Department of Transportation reminds drivers to stay sober and safe as they make their way to and from their game-day destinations.
The Texas/OU rivalry game dramatically increases traffic on our state highways, said TxDOT Executive Director Lt. Gen. Joe Weber, USMC (Retired). We strongly urge football fans and their drivers to make sure a sober ride is part of their game-day ritual. Driving impaired is absolutely inexcusable and 100 percent avoidable. Dont wreck your life or the life of another.
To help spread this message, the TxDOT Fan Van will be traveling throughout Texas until January to remind football fans about the consequences of drinking and driving. Shaped like a giant football, the Fan Van will appear at tailgate events around the state and offer the chance to win a trip to pro footballs Big Game in 2016. Eligible spectators must take a pledge to not drink and drive this football season. Specific contest details and the various ways to enter can be found atTexasGamePlan.com.
Top Texas football coaches including Art Briles of Baylor University and Tony Levine of the University of Houston are joining TxDOTs effort by appearing in upcoming videos encouraging their teams fans to make a sober-ride game plan.
Alcohol-related traffic crashes in Texas were alarmingly high last football season. More than 1,700 DUI-alcohol crashes occurred in 2013 when a Texas college or professional football team was playing, a 7-percent increase over 2012. The dangerous trend on football game days when a Texas team is playing shows a continuous upward swing from 2011 to 2013.
Along with driving sober, TxDOT urges drivers to stay rested, put away phones, obey all traffic laws and buckle up. The agency offers 12 Travel Information Centers across the state where drivers can rest, refresh, get directions and enjoy other safe-travel services.