In Louisville, many people enjoy watching the Kentucky wildcats, the Louisville Cardinals, the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Football, and other professional and college sports teams. When people enjoy football, they often do so while drinking alcoholic beverages. While drinking has become a part of sports culture for many people, it is not without risk. In fact, statistics show drinking on football game days can increase the chances of drunk driving car accidents happening.
If a football fan makes a mistake about how much he has consumed and whether he can safely drive or not, this bad decision can change lives. Victims could be hurt or killed in drunk driving car accidents, leaving their families with financial struggles and struggling to understand their rights to pursue car accident compensation. The intoxicated driver could hurt himself or be left with the guilt of injuring others. Criminal charges and a civil action are also likely results. Football fans need to do everything they can go avoid facing this fate and to prevent their friends and family who attend games with them from getting into trouble by getting drunk and driving.
The increased risk of car accidents on football game days should come as no surprise given the substantial number of people who drink while attending football games. According to Bloomberg, about one in 10 fans who go to a football game will be legally intoxicated before the game ends. This means their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) will be .08 or greater, and they will not be able to drive safely or legally.
For tailgating fans who go to football games, crash risks are even more substantial than for other game attendees. Around 25 percent of tailgaters say they consume five drinks or more during the course of their tailgating for a football game. This level of consumption of intoxicating beverages can be officially classified as binge drinking and it can make someone very unsafe behind the wheel. Tailgaters are as much as 14 times as likely to be impaired as other football game attendees, so they definitely should not be driving.
Unfortunately, many people don’t realize how much beer or other alcohol they consume over the course of a football game or they are unaware of the impact the alcohol will have on their ability to drive. Football fans need to know of the risk they present to themselves and to others and should make sure they have advanced plans for how to get home. Whether you plan to call a cab, use a car sharing service, or get a ride with a designated driver, you should know exactly what you are going to do before you take a single sip at a football game so you don’t find yourself facing the choice of whether to get behind the wheel drunk or not.
Those who attend games with friends or family also need to step up and speak up if they see someone they are with who is about to make a terrible mistake and get behind the wheel while drunk.
