Valley law enforcement, new chips bag hope to curb drunk driving during Super Bowl weekend

With Super Bowl Sunday just days away, football fans across the Coachella Valley aren’t the only ones gearing up for the big game.

“We understand that, part of the excitement, that there will be gatherings and parties where people will decide to drink alcohol,” Deputy Armando Munoz with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.

It’s a big day not just for pigskins, but parties as well.

And some like Jim and Marlyn Jensen are taking a proactive approach to being safe this Sunday — by having a breathalyzer home.

“I have my own bar at home, so I don’t have to drive anymore,” Jim Jensen said. “But, I just use it so that I don’t get out of hand.”

Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputies in Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert are teaming up with Golden State law enforcement officers, receiving funds from the state’s Office of Traffic Safety, hoping to curb drunk driving.

“We will have extra law enforcement officers out both during the game, and after the game, focusing on impaired drivers and looking for signs of drivers that have been driving drunk,” Munoz said.

But Tostitos and non-profit Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD) have teamed up to develop a new bag they say could help keep people from hitting the streets under the influence.

“It’s really more of a campaign to kick off the idea that the Super Bowl is coming,” MADD Southern California Regional Executive Director Patricia Rillera said. “We want to start the conversation about getting home safely.”

MADD officials said 1,000 limited edition bags will be equipped with sensors that people can blow on to determine whether or not it’s safe to get behind the wheel.

“Let’s say you’re drunk, and you’re over the legal limit, you’re not only saving potential legal fees, [but] you’re actually saving more than one life,” Cathedral City resident Miguel Corral said about the bag.

MADD officials said the bags this year are not available to the general public, but could be in the future.

That’s unknown at this point.

Officials said the bags come with red and green symbols. When the bag turns red, it means you’re not safe to drive.

And if you have a red bag, manufacturers said it will go towards a discount on an Uber ride home.