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Super Bowl: #1 Drinking Day of The Year, Even for Uber Drivers!

Posted by Aaron J. Wolff | Feb 15, 2016 | 0 Comments

Another Super Bowl has seen it's day with nearly half the population of the United States watching. According to CBS Sports, close to 112 million people were watching the Denver Broncos take the win against the Carolina Panthers with a final score of 24 to 10, either from their seats at Levi's Stadium, from the comfort their own or a friend's couch, or from the bar stool at the local watering hole. Regardless of where you were, what team you were rooting for, or even whether you are a football fan or not, Super Bowl Sunday is practically a National Holiday filled with good food, great fun, and of course lots of alcohol. In fact, the Super Bowl is one of the biggest drinking days of the year.

Super Bowl Drinking & DUI Statistics

Last year alone, CBSNews reported more than $583 million was spent on beer at last year's super bowl with another $109 million on liquor. This year, wine was a hot commotity at the game, as ESPN.com reported 8,000 glasses were sold at the Stadium. Because of the notoriety of drinking and partying away the Super Bowl weekend, law enforcement agencies all over Washington State and most other states in the country increased their task force to patrol the streets and highways, looking for impaired drivers over the weekend. In 2012, the United States witnessed over a third (38%) of all the traffic fatalities occurring on Super Bowl Sunday due to alcohol-impaired drivers. In Washington State,  Super Bowl weekend has historically been a very dangerous time on the roads due to the high number of people driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. From 2009 to 2012, 191 have been arrested for DUI on Super Bowl Sunday in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties alone. This year, in Colorado, the Colorado Department of Transportation reported 276 arrests for drivers caught driving while intoxicated from Friday through Monday of Super Bowl Weekend.  

Even an Uber Driver Gets Caught Driving Under the Influence This Super Bowl

Even having the ability to request a ride from a “ride-hailing” service such as Uber or Lyft was found troubling this Super Bowl weekend as one Uber driver added fuel to the ridesharing safety debate. The driver in Simi Valley, California was pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence when en route to his next pick-up location. 47 year old Robert Wing spent the Sunday afternoon watching the Super Bowl from a local bar, when he decided to pick up some customers to make some extra money. At 1:40 a.m., the Monday morning after the game, an on-duty Officer had pulled Robert Wing over after noticing the car being driving by Wing did not have a front license plate. Wing admitted to the officer that he had already driven a couple of fares around and was on his way to pick up another customer. The officer conducted a DUI evaluation and found Wing had a blood alcohol level of 0.25 percent. The Simi Valley Police Department released a press statement claiming that Wing was unaware of his physical location at the time of his arrest and relied on his GPS to direct him.  The Officer arrested Wing and booked him into the Ventura County Jail on a misdemeanor DUI charge. Wing's car was impounded and searched by police officers who discovered two empty bottles of Coors Light in the car -- one bottle underneath Wing's driver seat. Uber released a statement after the incident claiming, “We have a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol or drug use for anyone driving on the Uber platform.” Uber has permanently removed Wing from access to Uber's driver-partner platform.

Unfortunately, Wing was not the first driver arrested for a DUI while working for Uber. Two weeks prior to Wing's incident, Uber driver Ricky LeBlanc was arrested in Chicago at the end of January. LeBlanc was pulled over after being found slumped over his steering wheel with an Uber sticker on full display. LeBlanc did not have any passengers inside his vehicle and he, like Wing, was also barred from the Uber platform. Uber claims that they have hired a law enforcement liaison to do background checks and periodic audits of drivers' current records. Uber claims to be committed to driver safety and have set in place a system for concerned passengers to report a driver who they believe may have been drinking.

Despite recent safety hiccups, services like Uber and Lyft have been an advantage for many passengers including Super Bowl celebrators. Still, being aware of the sobriety status of your driver is very important. Super Bowl is a time of fun, celebration, and yes, drinking.  Whether you are a fan at a local bar, or the passenger in a ride-hailing service, DUIs happen.  A skilled Seattle DUI Defense Attorney knows the many defenses available to a driver arrested and charged with DUI.  Contact Aaron Wolff if you are facing the justice system for DUI charges -- with over fifteen years of experience, you can trust Aaron will fight for your rights.

About the Author

Aaron J. Wolff

A former DUI prosecutor, Aaron Wolff has over 18 years of experience in representing people accused of DUI and is recognized as one of the leading defense lawyers in Washington State. His relentless and passionate advocacy has lead to superb ratings and outstanding reviews from former clients.

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