Super Bowl Sunday is unfortunately associated with a spike in traffic fatalities due to factors like increased alcohol consumption and travel.
“Getting behind the wheel when you’re impaired is never okay. So, as you plan to enjoy the game this weekend with family and friends, it’s important to include a safe and sober ride in those plans. Our Troopers will be out on the roads making sure people are following the laws, so we need you to also step up and make a responsible decision so everyone gets home safely—it’s the only way we all win.” — DPS Colonel Freeman F. Martin
- Right after the Super Bowl telecast, the traffic death rate typically spikes by 41% to 46%. That’s higher than the fatality rate associated with the period right after the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.
- An average of 20 traffic deaths occur every hour for the 12 hours following the big game.
- The traffic death rate tends to be highest in the home state of the losing team versus the winning team (and states not involved in the Super Bowl at all).
- Regionally, most deadly traffic accidents on Super Bowl Sundays occur in the Northeast U.S., followed by the Midwest.
- During a given year, alcohol impairment tends to factor into nearly 1 in every 3 fatal motor vehicle accidents. On Super Bowl Sundays, there’s usually about a 50:50 shot at alcohol involvement contributing to traffic deaths.
Researchers say that traffic deaths usually increase sharply on Super Bowl Sundays for three reasons:
- More drunk drivers on the road
- More fatigued drivers
- More distracted drivers
Manor police arrested a driver for driving while intoxicated and causing a crash Friday night at the intersection of HWY 290 and Gregg Manor Road.
Travis County’s Sobering Center is expanding.
The facility, opened in 2018, is used to reduce the congestion of the county’s jail and hospitals with folks who are publicly intoxicated. (Austin Monitor)
Beginning tomorrow, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority will close the southbound MoPac Expressway exit to Steck Avenue as construction on the 183 North Project progresses.
The exit will be closed for about two to three months.
Police in Round Rock responded to a residence Saturday to serve a warrant but instead found the recipient dead.
A bomb threat was called in to Leander High School during a dance competition on Saturday but authorities said nothing was found and there was no threat to the public. (Fox7 Austin)
A fire in Travis County Saturday caused one injury.
An anti-deportation rally was held Saturday at the Texas State Capitol in Austin that led to a march to the J.J. Pickle Building downtown where immigrants awaiting deportation are being held.
A photo gallery from yesterday’s protest and rally from the Austin American-Statesman.
Georgetown’s Pecan Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant experienced an equipment malfunction last month, resulting in a spill of more than 90,000 gallons of wastewater into Berry Creek. (Fox7 Austin)
Texas grocer H-E-B reportedly has a 60-second television ad that will air in some key Texas cities between the third and fourth quarter of tonight’s Super Bowl. (MySanAntonio)
A Super Bowl ad called “True to Texas” was filmed in Texas. It features Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Renée Zellweger, and Billy Bob Thornton. The ad promotes filmmaking in Texas and urges the Texas legislature to create film and television production incentives.
Texas’ population increased more than any other state for the second year in a row, increasing by 562,941 since July 2023, or about 1.83%, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. (KXAN-TV)
It is peak flu season in Central Texas.
The Texas Department of State Health Services’ website shows that 41 percent of lab samples are testing positive for influenza.
Statewide, emergency room visits due to influenza are up more than 15 percent. Hospitalizations are up 38 percent, and deaths due to the flu are up more than 72 percent. (CBS Austin)
A Northeast Austin neighborhood is taking steps to protect against wildfires.
WEATHER
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
The ATX officially broke a record high temperature Saturday.
Will we see any snow this month in Central Texas? (Austin American-Statesman)
PODCASTS: Emergency Items and ESA Action – Governor Abbott lays out his list of emergency items, and one led to quick action from Senate lawmakers.
Dylan McKim looks at the vote to pass education savings accounts and a push to change the plan to focus more on disadvantaged students.
“The State of Texas” podcast:
CBS Texas’ “Eye On Politics”:
Governor Greg Abbott traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Trump in the Oval Office to discuss new ways they can jointly prevent illegal immigration.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents said more than $19 million worth of methamphetamine and heroin was seized from a shipment labeled cucumbers and jalapenos at the southern border. (Fox7 Austin)
A bomb threat at a Texas mall Saturday prompted a response from Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office units, but no threat was found. (My Texas Daily)
A grand jury has indicted two people in connection with the murder of a North Texas soldier, including her husband.
A woman from Prairie View, Texas, was sentenced to two years in federal prison after embezzling from the credit union she worked at. The theft forced it to merge with another institution after she stole nearly a quarter million dollars from two elderly clients. (Lonestar Live)
Google is calling it quits on its Denton County lease for a space intended for its data center operations. Google had leased more than one million square feet at an industrial park north of Fort Worth. (Chron)
Some North Texans will be able to have snacks delivered during the Super Bowl via drones. (Chron)
Saturday was the final day of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and a record was set.
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Freshman guard Tre Johnson registered a team-high 15 points, but Texas (15-9, 4-7 SEC) dropped an 86-78 decision at Vanderbilt (17-6, 5-5 SEC) on Saturday afternoon inside historic Memorial Gymnasium. (Texas Longhorns)
#4/6 Texas (23-2, 9-1 SEC) vs. #2/2 South Carolina (22-1, 10-0 SEC) today at 1:00 p.m. at Moody Center.
Wade Taylor IV made a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining to lift No. 10 Texas A&M past No. 15 Missouri 67-64 on Saturday. (Yahoo! Sports)
No. 20 Arizona avenged its only Big 12 loss with an 82-73 victory over No. 13 Texas Tech on Saturday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
NBA: Anthony Davis had 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in his Mavericks debut but left the game late in the third quarter with a lower-body injury as Dallas beat the Houston Rockets 116-105 on Saturday. (Yahoo! Sports)
Victor Wembanyama missed a mid-range jumper in the final seconds and the Orlando Magic held on for a 112-111 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night.
Both the Mavericks and Spurs are idle today while the Rockets host Toronto. (Yahoo! Sports)
NHL: Matt Duchene scored twice and the Dallas Stars routed San Jose 8-3 on Saturday night. (Yahoo! Sports)
SUPER BOWL LIX: Who ya got? The Eagles or Cheifs?
It’s been a long three decades since the Dallas Cowboys won a Super Bowl. Their last appearance in the Big Game was in the 1995 season in Super Bowl 30 when they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17.
