Driving Drunk

I am not an alcoholic kick today I swear, however I am not surprised by this finding what-so-ever.

NPR:

Bloomberg highlights a new report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which concludes "an estimated 17 million motorists may have driven while drunk in the preceding 12 months."

Eight percent of almost 7,000 U.S. drivers ages 16 and older responding to a 2008 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration telephone survey said they had driven when their blood-alcohol content was above the legal limit at least once in the previous year.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's "National Survey of Drinking and Driving Attitudes and Behaviors," "twenty percent of the public 16 and older had in the past year driven a motor vehicle within two hours of drinking alcohol."

We are a car centric nation that has yet to adapt and build reasonable and affordable public transit for our citizens. Anytime I am home in Virginia there are two issues with meeting up with friends. First everyone wants to drink, second no one wants to be the designated driver. Now someone always takes one for the team, however with limited access to cabs and nearly zero public transit it is still cumbersome to "go out."

I am not suggesting every suburb should have mass transit, but it would be a sight to see if someone actually tried. Driving drunk or "under the influence" in a lot of these cases, although a personal decision I don't make, is rather difficult to avoid. If these people are in a city and that city lacks public transit that provides a safe and efficient way to travel it is time to catch up. Chicago has the CTA as well as a fleet of cabs readily operating. Despite both having their own shortcomings it allows plenty of opportunity to have fun and act responsibly. People should be allowed something as basic as having an alternate option to driving and currently I don't see many places obliging that.

I am Frank Chow and I approved this message

P.S. It would also be a fancy way to stimulate the economy.