News Release

Don't let your drive home following the Super Bowl be your last play of the day

Study finds 41 per cent increase in driving fatalities after the Super Bowl telecast

Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Toronto

Be careful if you are thinking of driving after the Super Bowl this Sunday night because the roads are not as safe as you think.

According to a new study led by Dr. Donald Redelmeier, director of Clinical Epidemiology for Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, there is a 41 per cent increase in driving fatalities throughout the United States after the Super Bowl telecast.

"For perspective, a 41 per cent increase in night time collisions on Super Bowl Sunday means we can expect 1,300 more car crashes, 600 more injuries and seven more deaths following the average telecast," said Redelmeier. "The increase in risk is particularly large during the first hour after the game ends and exceeds the surge in fatalities occurring on New Year's Eve."

The researchers studied 2,944 driving fatalities on consecutive Super Bowl Sundays because alcohol, inattention and fatigue are major contributors to roadway deaths. Data from 1975 to 2001 were used to compare the fatality rates of each Super Bowl over the 27 years. As controls, the researchers looked at rates from the Sunday before and the Sunday after the Super Bowl for each year.

The study also uncovered an added reason for fans to cheer on their favorite team by separately analyzing the fatalities in winning and losing states. "It's bad enough when your team loses the Super Bowl. However, we also found that losing states can also expect an even larger increase in fatalities than winning states following the telecast," says Redelmeier.

"For example, New York and Colorado have had the most losses over the last 27 years and showed a 147 per cent increase in fatalities for the nine relevant years," he says. "In contrast, California has the most wins and showed no significant increase for the eight years where they won the Super Bowl."

Redelmeier recommends that people avoid unnecessary night driving on Super Bowl Sunday. He also suggests that trauma centres consider adding more night staffing on Super Bowl Sunday. In addition, he encourages sponsors to consider subsidizing taxi fares or free public transportation following the telecast.

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Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre is transforming health care through the dedication of its more than 7,000 staff members who provide compassionate and innovative patient focused care. An internationally recognized leader in women's health, academic research and education and an affiliation with the University of Toronto distinguishes Sunnybrook & Women's as one of Canada's premier health sciences centres. Sunnybrook & Women's specializes in caring for newborns, adults and the elderly, treating and preventing cancer, heart problems, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions and traumatic injuries.


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