Clearfield, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Highway Safety Network (HSN) partnered with pizzerias in several counties to urge designated driving through a box top advertising campaign ahead of Sunday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. The partnership coincides with a national Super Bowl Impaired Driving Campaign running through Monday, February 10.
Participating in the box top advertising campaign in Clearfield County are Buck’s Pizza in Clearfield and DuBois, and Brother’s Pizza in Osceola Mills.
State Farm funded the purchase of the flyers distributed in Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, and McKean counties through its Good Neighbor Citizenship Company Grants. They award these grants to build safer, stronger, and better-educated communities across the United States by focusing on safety, education, and community development.
“We want to encourage everyone to make good choices this weekend,” said HSN Community Traffic Safety Project Coordinator Josh Woods. “Regardless of who you’re rooting for Sunday, you can be part of the winning team by designating a sober driver or being a responsible party host.”
The box top campaign serves as a unique opportunity to engage community partners in the annual effort to keep fans safe on the biggest football weekend of the year.
“We value the continued support for this initiative that we get from so many area businesses,” said PennDOT District 9 Safety Press Officer, Monica Owens. “Every year the number of participants grows, giving us greater opportunities to spread such an important message about the dangers of impaired driving.”
Whether you’re planning to watch the game at your favorite local eatery or hosting a party of your own, PennDOT urges responsible party hosting and offers the following tips.
- If you’re the designated driver, take the job seriously. Enjoy the food but not the booze.
- If you’re hosting the party, ask guests to pace themselves, enjoy the food, and drink plenty of water.
- Help your designated drivers out by serving some non-alcoholic drinks.
- If you know someone has been drinking and they try to leave, take their keys, and help them get home safely or offer to let them spend the night.
According to 2024 preliminary PennDOT data, there were 34 drinking driver crashes statewide from 6:00 PM Super Bowl Sunday to 6:00 AM the following day, resulting in 13 injuries. The last time the Eagles played for the championship was in 2023. According to PennDOT data for that year, there were 56 drinking driver crashes statewide on Super Bowl Sunday to 6:00 AM the following day, an increase of 10 from 2022. There was one fatality in those crashes. When the Eagles played for the championship in 2018 data shows there were 65 drinking driver crashes and zero fatalities during that time frame.
For more information on the dangers and consequences of impaired driving, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/safety.
