Aside from cheers, beers, friendly wagers and calorie-laden feasts, Super Bowl parties bring the added risk of impaired driving and possible liability for guests who leave your party after drinking.
As millions of Americans leave friends and family after watching big game, roads become more dangerous. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that on Super Bowl Sunday in 2010, 48 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities were attributed to driving under the influence of alcohol.
To encourage football fans to enjoy the Super Bowl safely, Mothers Against Drunk Driving has teamed with the National Football League to launch a game day designated driver program, which garnered fan signatures pledging to be designated drivers—a nearly 30 percent increase from 2010.
Drunk drivers aren’t the only threats to road safety on Super Bowl Sunday. The Super Bowl may attract all kinds of viewers, but NHTSA points out that a large portion of sporting event audiences are young men between 21 to 34 years old. NHTSA studies show that this age group is the most likely to drive while intoxicated, to speed and to not wear seatbelts.
A long game (with a later start time) makes for a late night and drowsy drivers. NHTSA reports that drowsy drivers cause more than 100,000 crashes annually, resulting in 40,000 injuries and 1,550 deaths.
Now that we’ve established the risks, what about the liability? Known as social host liability, if you serve alcohol to your guests, you could be held liable for any damage or injury your guest causes on the way home.
“Those throwing a party where alcohol is served have both a legal and moral responsibility to make sure that their guests are capable of driving safely,” said Loretta Worters, vice president with the Insurance Information Institute said in a press release. “You don’t want to allow anyone who has been drinking to drive a vehicle while impaired. Not only do your guests risk injury or death to themselves or others, but you may be held financially responsible.”
If you are planning to host a Super Bowl party, the I.I.I. suggests the following:
- Familiarize yourself with your state’s social host liability laws.
- Homeowners insurance usually provides some liquor liability coverage, but it is typically limited to $100,000 to $300,000, depending on the policy, which might not be enough. Speak with your agent to assess your coverage.
- Consider venues other than your home for the party such as a restaurant or bar with a liquor license.
- Encourage guests to pick a designated driver who will refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages so that he or she can drive other guests home.
- If guests drink too much or seem too tired to drive home, call a cab, arrange a ride with a sober guest or have them sleep at your home.
- Be a responsible host. Limit your own alcohol intake so that you will be better able to judge your guests’ sobriety.
- Offer non-alcoholic beverages and always serve food. Stop serving liquor toward the end of the evening. Switch to coffee, tea and soft drinks.
– Elise Rambaud Marrion @ emarrion_cmn
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