AUSTIN, Texas — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has one request to those attending the UT Austin vs. Ohio State game or watch parties Saturday: decide how you will get home before heading to the game.
NHTSA also is attending Friday evening’s Tailgate Tour to urge people not to get behind the wheel if they are drinking.
This is the NHTSA’s message behind the Pledge Wall, where attendees can sign pledging to not drive while impaired. This is also their initiative behind their “Pledge to Drive Sober — Take it. Pass it on.” Tailgate Tour.
The tour is a national, season-long college football campaign, with a new campus serving as the backdrop for each stop. The tour plans to make 11 stops during one season.
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In addition to signing the Pledge Wall, fans can step into a sobriety simulator that demonstrates what impairment does behind the wheel.
“Alcohol-impaired” crashes refer to crashes where a driver with a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher was involved in the crash.
In 2024, 11,904 people were killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes. This made up 30% of all 39,254 U.S. traffic fatalities. Texas recorded more alcohol-impaired-driving deaths than any other state in 2024.
The NHTSA also stated this is incredibly important when noting the increased dangers of nighttime driving. 31% of drivers in nighttime fatal crashes in 2024 were alcohol-impaired, compared with 10% during the day.