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Do California Fans Drive Under the Influence After a Sporting Event?

Without a doubt, alcohol is quite prevalent at sporting events in California. In fact, most of us have, at some time, experienced the ill effects of an intoxicated sports fan firsthand. This type of behavior is especially disturbing when children are subjected to the outlandish behavior of intoxicated individuals. For instance, in 2010 an intoxicated male sports fan vomited - intentionally - on an 11-year-old female fan and her father.

What is even more alarming is the potential for these intoxicated individuals to get into a vehicle and drive away from the sporting event. Not only could they be charged with driving under the influence in California, they could also cause a serious California drunk driving accident.

A recent study by Darin Erickson, PhD, and published in the journal, Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER), discovered that approximately 8% of people leaving a sports event are legally intoxicated. Furthermore, nearly 40% of fans have a positive BAC.

Erickson also discovered that:

• Sports spectators under the age of 35 were nine times as likely to have a BAC level above the 0.08 legal limit.

• Individuals who drank at tailgate parties were fourteen times more likely to be legally intoxicated.

• One in four sports fans who attended tailgate parties reported drinking five or more alcoholic drinks at the gathering.

• Individuals with the highest BAC drank an average of 6.6 alcoholic beverages at a tailgate party, while fans with a mid-range BAC reported drinking 3.7 beverages. Spectators within the 0 BAC reported drinking 2.8 beverages at the tailgate party.

• The highest incidence of mid-range BACs occurred in sports fans who attended an evening sporting event.

Erickson stated that the sample size for this study was not as large as he would have hoped, which is partly due to fans' unwillingness to take a BAC test after a sporting event. However, assuming that the results of the study provide a true representation of the fans at professional sporting events, he estimates that nearly 5,000 attendees of a National Football League (NFL) game leave the event with a BAC which is above the legal limit.

If you have been arrested for drunk driving in California, you need to speak with a Torrance drunken driving lawyer. Contact McGregor & Ernenwein at 877-338-4489 to schedule a free case consultation.