Can we all agree it is the lowest scum of human society who gets behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated, whether leaving a five-star restaurant serving fine wine, or a beer pong party at the local frat house?
Drunk drivers are the ultimate narcissists, responsible for horribly maiming and killing innocents, not to mention ruining their own lives, those of their victims, and the families of both. So how do we protect ourselves from them?
One way is to stay out of the cities where we’re most likely to encounter them. Insurance.com came up with a list that ranks large cities by DUI busts, based on analysis of insurance applications for 320,000 people in the U.S. Here are a few areas of the country where you may want to be especially alert for slow-moving weavers:
California is for Drunkards
Beautiful, sunny San Diego has the most DUI drivers per capita than any other city in the U.S., followed closely by San Jose. In fact, California takes four of the top 10 spots, with Los Angeles and San Francisco coming in at numbers seven and eight, respectively. What the heck, California? We all know they grow some great wine grapes there, but four out of the top ten for the whole country? Apparently these days “California dreaming” includes careening up and down the golden coast, liquored up like a 50s housewife.
Actually, it’s not quite as bad as it sounds. According to the analysis, the reason San Diego and San Jose in particular have such a stunningly high number of DUI busts is because they also have an exceptionally strong drunk driving task force, and the police there actively hunt down violators. In San Diego, a team of six officers, specially trained to spot the subtle signs of drunk driving, spend 40 hours a week making DUI arrests, through both checkpoints and “saturation patrols.” Hopefully, this means most intoxicated drivers there are being caught.
Those Darned Kids!
Another reason California ranks so high is because of the large number of colleges located there. This is especially true of the second drunkest city, San Jose, which is home to dozens of colleges and technical schools, and has nightlife that attracts kids from farther south.
The fact is, people under the age of 25 are not overwhelmingly known for maturity, impulse-control, or thoughtful choice making. College students are the highest age group for drunk driving, and that fact, combined with San Jose’s aggressive policing of the problem, is mostly what makes the numbers there so high.
Other Cities to Avoid
Charlotte, North Carolina, ranked third on the list of drunk driving cities, followed by Phoenix, Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis. Texas had five spots in the top 20, with Austin at 9, and San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and Ft. Worth holding spots 11 through 14. We blame all that line dancing and bourbon for Texas.
Jacksonville, Florida came in tenth. None of these seem entirely surprising, given the college factor.
Transportation Challenges
Besides being areas with a lot of crazy kids and a lot of cops determined to bust them, another factor in why certain cities have higher-than-average DUI rates is public transportation. When you can party all night with subways, buses, and cabs within reach of everything you need, it’s easy to avoid driving.
Most of the places in the top ten have vast stretches of space and relatively little in the way of public transportation, especially at night when people are more likely to be drinking heavily. Among students, who tend to think nothing bad will ever happen to them, nobody wants to be the designated driver.
Staying Safe
So what does this information tell us, exactly? First of all, supporting special law enforcement programs designed to catch drunk drivers is obviously worthwhile. Imagine how many car-wielding partiers aren’t getting caught in communities where the cops don’t have enough funding to actively look for them?
Secondly, supporting public transportation is a good thing, not only for environmental and convenience reasons, but also to keep the intoxicated out of their cars where they are less likely to hurt people.
Finally, watch yourself around colleges and universities. The numbers support a strong link between youth and intoxicated driving, so educating that particular demographic may be a way to improve road safety for all of us.
10 comments
Dkennedy
DUI drivers are the worst? I thought we hated smokers as the plague of the earth.. hard to keep it straight who we are hating this week. First offense of being generally mildly intoxicated in phoenix (which they call 'super extreme' but there is nothing extreme about it) will cost you about $10,000, a year and a half with an interlock device (which you 'rent'), a lost license, classes (which you pay for), and 30 days to 6 months in jail.
Yes, they're the scum of the earth - I understand the possible dangers of driving in that condition - but there are dangers to MANY conditions and many situations and people make bad decisions of many kinds - ones that can definitely cause just as much harm Just being terrible drivers for that matter! They willfully drive in that condition - as terrible drivers.. don't they? They premeditatedly drive -- knowing full well that they could take someone's life with their crappy driving - so why are they not thrown in jail? Why are they not given a year of classes - and charged for it? After all.. it's just a bad decision - right? To drive their car home - so shouldn't we charge all 'bad decisions' that someone could be harmed by with jail time and classes and all the other b.s. that we do here for the 1st time you do it?
Phoenix lists as the 4th most drunk driving convictions - and has the harshest penalties in the entire country. So how is that working out? Especially considering very few people are actually aware of the penalties... who would be? It's something you have to go through to know about it.. Like I said, yes, drunk driving is a very bad decision -- I'm glad you haven't made any bad decisions... how about getting pregnant unintentionally when you aren't in a position to handle it? That would ruin a person's life -- the child's. We should put them in jail for 6 months... right? And 2nd offense give them 10 years and a felony charge.
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A Concerned Citizen
So DUI drivers are worse than pedophiles, rapists, murderers, kidnappers....? Very strong language. And what study has shown that they are also the ultimate narcissists? You sound like a member of MADD and so quick to use tainted language while hiding behind the anonymity provided you by this forum. And "liquored like a 50s housewife" wow, aren't you quite sexist. You make several assumptions in your article. And please publish the studies you base these rants upon. Without citing to them, you are committing plagiarism. Wouldn't be shocked at all to find that you are merely an ignorant malcontent who has a DUI conviction and want to strip everyone else of their rights because you waived your own.
Outrageous
A DUI is not Drunk driving now; it is a cash cow Business for every state to make money for their county. Cops drink and drive, judges drink and drive, lawyers drink and drive and every elite group; drinks and drives. Having one or two drinks is the NEW drunk driver; who BTW., is driving fine but might have a light out, a tag loose or just a pretty girl being pulled over. The cops NOW have the power to turn any of these REaSONS into a DUI for absolutely nothing. It is outrageous to ruin someone's life for NO reason; no victim, no crash ; not even driving erratically. It should be against our civil rights; oh it is. To be viewed as a Drunk driver for absolutely no reason is a crime. There are drunk drivers who should be OFF our roads; but since the cops are so busy pulling people over for anything but driving like a DRUNK; the real drunks are driving passed the innocent. Great job out there. Until people wake up to the unjust arrests; the hypocritical judicial system who are protected from the punishments they justify and hand out, the silence by good citizens is what the Elite hope for. Protest the outrageous punishments for the not drunk DUI laws. bTW texting and driving is number 1 deaths and accidents for the past 3 years now.... No punishment as harsh as not drunk DuI punishments. Think about that we the people.
Outrageous
They want everyone to believe that all who get a DUI are DRuNK while they are stopped. Absolutely NOT true at all. 1-2 not drunk DUI law is outrageous and everyone should fight to stop the unconstitutional punishments and label of victims of this absurd law. Number 1 deaths and accidents on the road is Texting; for the past three years. Wake up to the Cash Cow business that is making every county money! Murders, rapists, thieves, are all the scum of the earth; but now it's not drunk DUI unjust arrests. Don't let the hypocritical elite mass brainwash you. Fight for your rights citizens. A victimless, no crash, not even driving erratically should NOT be a DUI. Our laws were made for crimes committed, accidents that happen; not lala land make believe " could of happened".
What a money game they are playing with responsible citizens...
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