News

Crawford County Sheriff Dale McCullick, Prairie du Chien Police Department Chief Chad Abram, and Rick Peterson, C.A.R.E. Director of Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital announced that they are teaming up with the National Football League (NFL), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and other state and local highway safety and law enforcement officials to remind everyone to designate a sober driver if they plan to be drinking alcohol on Super Bowl Sunday.

“We want to pass our safety message to everyone who will be drinking this weekend, real Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk,” said Chief Abram. “Please act responsibly, designate a sober driver before the Super Bowl party begins and leave your car keys at home. Never let a friend drive drunk. Arrange a safe way for them to get home.”

Even if your favorite team didn’t make it to the big game, Super Bowl Sunday is one of America’s biggest and most entertaining national sporting events as friends and families gather to socialize and watch the big game. Yet, it has also become one of the Nation’s most dangerous days on the roadways due to impaired driving.

According to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012, fatalities in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes accounted for over 31 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities. On Super Bowl Sunday in 2008, 49 percent of the fatalities occurred in crashes where a driver or motorcycle rider had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher.

“Designating a sober driver should be on the top of everyone’s Super Bowl party list,” said Sheriff Dale McCullick. “It’s just one of several easy steps to help save lives.”

Local law enforcement would like to remind you that they are conducting Saturation/Party Patrol and Compliance Checks throughout the year. Additional tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration follows. To learn more information you can also visit www.stopimpaireddriving.org

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party:

• Make sure all of your patrons designate their sober drivers in advance, or help arrange ride-sharing with other sober drivers.
• Serve plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages at the party.
• Encourage your guests to pace themselves.
• Take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving while impaired.
• Remember, you can be held liable and prosecuted if someone you served ends up in an impaired-driving crash.
• If an underage person drinks and drives, the parent may be legally liable for any damage, injury or death caused by the underage driver.
• Likewise, parents or other adults who provide alcohol to or host a party where alcohol is available to those under age 21, could face heavy fines and/or jail time.

A few non-alcoholic beverage recipes:

Fruit Slush - Jill Morovits, Business Administration

1 qt. strawberries

5 bananas

2 lemons or 6 T. lemon juice

1 – 12 oz. can frozen orange juice

1 – 46 oz. can pineapple juice

Syrup — 6 cups water and 3 cups sugar

Blend strawberries, bananas and pineapple juice in blender. Make syrup and cool. Mix all together and freeze. To serve, thaw till slushy and mix 1 can 7up to each pint of slush.

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Sherbet Punch - Gloria Bunders, Business Administration

1/2 gallon lime sherbet

1 bottle 7up (chilled)

1 bottle Squirt (chilled)

1 bottle ginger ale (chilled)

Scoop sherbet into punch bowl using an ice cream scoop. Pour pop in and stir just enough to mix pop in.

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Christmas Punch - Gloria Bunders, Business Administration

2 pkg. red Koolaid

1 large can frozen orange juice

1 cup sugar

1 can pineapple-grapefruit juice

2 large bottles 50-50

8 cups water

Place Koolaid, sugar, and orange juice in punch bowl. Mix well. Add juice, pop, water and ice.

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Punch Bowl

1 liter non-alcoholic peach schnapps

1 qt. orange juice

1 qt. pineapple juice

1 bottle non-alcoholic champagne

Combine ingredients in a punch bowl. Float ice ring and slices of orange. Serves 20.