This weekend is Super Bowl Sunday, which means that millions of football fans and non-football fans alike will be watching the big event, whether it is for the football, the commercials or the half-time show. Much of the Super Bowl viewing occurs at parties that are known for their appetizers and beer.

The problem is that like other holidays known for celebrating with alcoholic beverages like the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve, too many people get behind the wheels of their vehicles to drive after having too much to drink. 

In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 10,322 people were killed in fatal traffic accidents involving drunk drivers on Super Bowl Sunday (and the early morning of the following Monday) in 2012. This represented 31 percent of all highway fatalities.

In effort to reduce the number of alcohol-related highway fatalities this Super Bowl, the NHTSA has launched the Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk campaign. As part of the campaign, the NHTSA is trying to make sure everyone who plans to drink during the Super Bowl knows the following game plan:

1. Arrange a sober driver ahead of game time.
2. Catch a ride to the Super Bowl party so you aren’t tempted to drive home.
3. Don’t drink too much too fast, and eat plenty of food.
4. Make sure to keep track of how much you have had to drink.
5. Your designated driver should be sober, not just less impaired than you.
6. Stop drinking during the third quarter, just like they require at the actual game.
7. Don’t let your friends drive drunk.

Fatal drunk driving accidents devastate the lives of countless of Americans every year. Drunk drivers can be held criminally and civilly responsible for their poor choices, and they have to live with their choices for the rest of their lives.

The good news is that these deaths can be avoided by following the game plan to avoid drunk driving.