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When this topic comes up it seems people place most of the blame on the drunk drivers themselves, and while their poor judgement (either pre or post-drinking) should absolutely be taken into account, I can't help but think how much the lack of alternatives facilitates people making the choice to drive after they drink.
This issue really hits home with me because I have a DWI from a few years ago and one of the classes I was required to attend really drove home the point that we all had a drinking problem, but I couldn't help but think that while that may have been true to varying degrees, another issue not being addressed is that we all also had a driving problem.
Here in New Mexico DWI's are still a problem but fortunately in addition to stricter penalties and increased enforcement, people are looking on the preventative side of things too:
What do you guys think? Are there any similar options in car-oriented cities where busses/trains don't (hardly) run at night and where taxis are expensive /not so common?
Now i live in cleveland and If I am going Out somewhere transit unfriendly after a certain hour I usually either cross my fingers that a taxi will actually pick me up or just drive and not drink anything.
In Chicago theres no question, if you're in the city you cAn feel secure that you will find a way home when you're tipsy.
I do think the way many many locations in the US have been planned does have an impact on drinking and driving.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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If you're looking for someone or something to blame other than yourself then I think the bars/bartender is to blame for intoxicating you for as long as you can afford to pay them.
Being drunk in public has other consequences other than what happens when you try to drive and besides, don't drunk people assume they're fine enough to drive? Isn't that what being impaired is all about? It's not like this service drives you to the bar AND picks you up. Sounds like a good deed but it has some problems. It would be better if they drove you to the bar and didn't pick you up. That would leave the bars with a flood of drunks with no way to get home so they can truly enjoy what they've created.
If you're looking for someone or something to blame other than yourself then I think the bars/bartender is to blame for intoxicating you for as long as you can afford to pay them.
Being drunk in public has other consequences other than what happens when you try to drive and besides, don't drunk people assume they're fine enough to drive? Isn't that what being impaired is all about? It's not like this service drives you to the bar AND picks you up. Sounds like a good deed but it has some problems. It would be better if they drove you to the bar and didn't pick you up. That would leave the bars with a flood of drunks with no way to get home so they can truly enjoy what they've created.
There have actually been quite a few cases where they try to blame whoever sold the alcohol, and while it is illegal to sell liquor to an intoxicated person, some people look fine when in reality they're trashed.
I also agree that if people have their car already with them and are tipsy they might make the choice to drive off thinking they're ok...but, if they've paid the monthly fee for the service they are probably pretty likely to take advantage of it.
The local state university here gets more drunk driving arrest than the one I went to for undergraduate. Someone's who familiar with both claimed it's because the one here has students living more scattered apart from each other than the one I went to (where most were within a long walk from each other maybe 30 mins).
^^^What he said. To answer the thread title, no, drinking is to blame for DWI/DUI. Alcoholics tend to be very good at blaming other people, circumstances, etc.
^^^What he said. To answer the thread title, no, drinking is to blame for DWI/DUI. Alcoholics tend to be very good at blaming other people, circumstances, etc.
I agree that alcohol itself and poor judgement have their fair share in the blame, but they don't account for 100% of it. How many fatal car crashes happened before the car era? How long have people been drinking?
When you're living in the suburbs, there's not much else for you to do in your free time but drink yourself silly. There seems to be a liquor store on every corner. Glad I don't live there anymore.
I was in a drunk-driving accident once when I was 17. Luckily I didn't kill anyone but my cousin's car was totaled. He let me take his beloved 280z sports car for a spin at a party knowing I only had a learner's permit and just had a few glasses of heavily-spiked punch. And it was well after dark. Not wise on his part, or mine. When I hit the other vehicle I was knocked unconscious for hours and spent the night in the hospital.
Oddly enough, nothing appeared on my driving record as a result, apparently because I didn't have a license at the time only a learner's permit. They never even cited me for it nor issued any order for me to appear in court. I was lucky the driver of the van I hit was fully insured and escaped with only minor injuries. But both vehicles were a total loss. The next day I was shown the accident scene photo and couldn't believe I made it out alive with only minor injuries. I still drank after that but never that heavily again.
There's a county here in Maryland that has long been rumored to have the highest number of liquor stores per captia anywhere in the states. I don't know if that's true, but it remains a rural area with zero transit and lots of booze. Most crossroads towns there have a post office, gas station, and liquor store. I know DUI is a way of life down there; a lot of people from there seem to have either earned one or crashed a car by the early 20s.
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