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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
I loved reading Freakonomics, and look forward to reading SuperFreakonomics, but even before I do, I came across some eye raising information related to DUI politics, from the new book:
The authors, Steven Levitt and Steven Dubner, write:
“Each year, more than 1,00 drunk pedestrians die in traffic accidents. They step off sidewalks into city streets; they lie down to rest on country roads; they make mad dashes across busy highways. Compared with the total number of people killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents each year — about 13,000—the number of drunk pedestrians is relatively small. But when you’re choosing whether to walk or driver, the overall number isn’t what counts. Here’s the relevant question: on a per-mile basis, is it more dangerous to drive drunk or walk drunk?
After running through some numbers, they find:
“Doing the match, you find that on a per-mile basis, a drunk walker is eight times more likely to get killed than a drunk driver.
They add a caveat that drunk walkers don’t kill other people, as drunk drivers do; but even factoring for that, “walking drunk leads to five times as many deaths per mile as driving drunk.”
Add to that the stats showing that distracted driving, like using radios and CDs in a car (or even talking on your cellphone with a bluetooth headset), kills more people than DUI does, and you have a matter of selective enforcement.
From the book itself:
Imagine you’ve gone to a party at a friend’s house. He lives only a mile away. You have a great time, perhaps because you drank four glasses of wine. Now the party is breaking up. While draining your last glass, you dig out your car keys. Abruptly you conclude this is a bad idea: you are in no condition to drive home. For the past few decades, we’ve been rigorously educated about the risks of driving under the influence of alcohol. A drunk driver is thirteen times more likely to cause an accident than a sober one. And yet a lot of people still drive drunk. In the United States, more than 30 percent of all fatal crashes involve at least one driver who has been drinking. During the late-night hours, when alcohol use is greatest, that proportion rises to nearly 60 percent. Overall, 1 of every 140 miles is driving drunk, or 21 billion miles each year.
Why do so many people get behind the wheel after drinking? Maybe because–and this could be the most sobering statistic yet–drunk drivers are rarely caught. There is just one arrest for every 27,000 miles driven while drunk. That means you could expect to drive all the way across the country, and then back, and then back and forth three more times, chugging beers all the while, before you got pulled over. As with most bad behaviors, drunk driving could probably be wiped out entirely if a strong-enough incentive were instituted–random roadblocks, for instance, where drunk drivers are executed on the spot–but our society probably doesn’t have the appetite for that.
Meanwhile, back at your friend’s party, you have made what seems to be the easiest decision in history: instead of driving home, you’re going to walk. After all, it’s only a mile. You find your friend, thank him for the party, and tell him the plan. He heartily applauds your good judgment.
But should he? We all know that drunk driving is terribly risky, but what about drunk walking? Is the decision so easy?
Let’s look at some numbers, Each year, more than 1,000 drunk pedestrians die in traffic accidents. They step off sidewalks into city streets; they lie down to rest on country roads; they make mad dashes across busy highways. Compared with the total number of people killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents each year–about 13,000–the number of drunk pedestrians is relatively small. But when you’re choosing whether to walk or drive, the overall number isn’t what counts. Here’s the relevant question: on a per-mile basis, is it more dangerous to drive drunk or walk drunk?
The average American walks about a half-mile per day outside the home or workplace. There are some 237 million Americans sixteen and older; all told, that’s 43 billion miles walked each year by people of driving age. If we assume that 1 of every 140 of those miles are walked drunk–the same proportion of miles that are driven drunk–then 307 million miles are walked drunk each year.
Doing the math, you find that on a per-mile basis, a drunk walker is eight times more likely to get killed than a drunk driver.
There’s one important caveat: a drunk walker isn’t likely to hurt or kill anyone other than her- or himself. That can’t be said of a drunk driver. In fatal accidents involving alcohol, 36 percent of the victims are either passengers, pedestrians, or other drivers. Still, even after factoring in the deaths of those innocents, walking drunk leads to five times as many deaths per mile as driving drunk.
So as you leave your friend’s party, the decision should be clear: driving is safer than walking. (It be even safer, obviously , to drink less, or to call a cab.) The next time you put away four glasses of wine at a party, maybe you’ll think through your decision a bit differently. Or, if you’re too far gone, maybe your friend will help sort things out. Because friends don’t let friends walk drunk.
That’s my two cents as a DUI Specialist Orange County, but if you have any comments, please email me at rmiller[at]expertlawfirm[dot]com.
Tags
Alcohol, Driving under the influence, Freakonomics, Health, Steven Levitt, SuperFreakonomics, Traffic collision, United States
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
The Lake Elsinore Police Department Targets Impaired Drivers with Checkpoint, brought to you by the Rancho Cucamonga Criminal Defense Attorneys at expertlawfirm.com.
The Lake Elsinore Police Department will be conducting a DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint on Saturday, January 30th. In an effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving.
All too often, members of our community are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. This DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as ensuring drivers have a valid driver’s license. A major component of these checkpoints is to increase awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to encourage sober designated drivers.
A DUI checkpoint is not a proven-effective method for achieving this goal, but police get money from the Federal Government (and MADD) to promote checkpoints. By publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, The Lake Elsinore Police Department believes motorists can be deterred from drinking and driving.
Traffic volume and weather permitting, all vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested.
Tags
Alcohol, Driving under the influence, Freakonomics, Health, Steven Levitt, SuperFreakonomics, Traffic collision, United States
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
I received an email which led me to the following site:
www.udadd.com
As you’ll see, it’s a website dedicated to the proposition that the government should not mandate what adults (that is, persons over the age of 18) do regarding alcohol. It’s interesting that a person can be old enough to vote, to die for one’s country, but not have an “adult” beverage. I’m not necessarily promoting this site, but I think the webmaster is onto something – and it is another example of how politics infects the discussion about drinking and driving.
Tags
Alcohol, Driving under the influence, Freakonomics, Health, Steven Levitt, SuperFreakonomics, Traffic collision, United States
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
From our friends at Make Use Of comes word of an app for avoiding DUIs – R-U-Buzzed.
If you had some alcoholic drink and not sure if you are OK to drive, check out R-U-Buzzed. It is free blood alcohol level calculator for iPhone that can calculate and tell you if the amount of alcohol you took can affect your driving.
It displays your blood alcohol content based on various information that you input and warns you to designate a sober driver if you are already wasted.
To know if you are already drunk, just enter your weight, gender, hours drinking, and the amount of alcohol taken. If the app finds out that you are already wasted, it will call a cab for you (works in Colorado, USA only). If you are elsewhere, the app will provide links to cab numbers in your area.
Although this app may not be very accurate in computing your alcohol blood content as it ignores other important factors such as drink variations or individual metabolisms, it certainly reminds people to drive responsibly and hopefully it helps in preventing many driving accidents.
Features:
- Calculates your blood alcohol content to know if you are safe to drive.
- Calls a cab for you in Colorado, USA.
- Provide links to cab numbers in other areas.
- Free to download.
Check out R-U-Buzzed @ iTunes App Store
Tags
Alcohol, Driving under the influence, Freakonomics, Health, Steven Levitt, SuperFreakonomics, Traffic collision, United States
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
From the popular website Cracked.com:
“Blood alcohol content, or BAC, is a measurement by volume of alcohol in your body. It can be taken with a blood test or with a breathalyzer. Here is a helpful chart for understanding what the numbers mean:…”
http://www.cracked.com/funny-1095-blood-alcohol-content/
Tags
Alcohol, Driving under the influence, Freakonomics, Health, Steven Levitt, SuperFreakonomics, Traffic collision, United States
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Our Orange County DUI Lawyers found a press release by the Irvine Police Department regarding their a DUI/sobriety checkpoint during the evening hours on Saturday December 19, 2009. The checkpoint was located at Irvine Center Drive and Hubble in the City of Irvine. As part of the California Holiday DUI Crackdown Campaign, the purpose of the checkpoint was to deter impaired driving and hold accountable those driving under the influence.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) helped sponsor and provide support to these checkpoints. According to MADD, in one survey, 79% of the public approved of sobriety checkpoints.
Funding for the special enforcement campaign, December 16, 2009 through January 3, 2010 came from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
This checkpoint was staffed by sworn officers and professional staff from the Irvine Police Department, and by MADD volunteers.
Look at these numbers:
Vehicles Stopped Sobriety Tests DUI Arrests Citations Issued Vehicles Towed
347 4 ZERO (0) 14 5
347 vehicles and drivers (not to mention other passengers) inconvenienced, traffic delayed, for zero arrests? For 14 traffic tickets to be issued? As I’ve said so many times, DUI checkpoints are a waste of time, and aren’t even as effective as the more useful saturation patrols. But still, based upon MADD pressure and federal money, they persist.
I often get the argument, “but Robert, if even one drunk driver is taken off the road…”, an argument that has its own logical fallacy, but in this case, as with many others, what if not even one drunk driver is taken off the road?
Tags
Alcohol, Driving under the influence, Freakonomics, Health, Steven Levitt, SuperFreakonomics, Traffic collision, United States
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
San Bernardino Police Department Targets Impaired Drivers with Checkpoint
Traffic Sgt B. Birnbuam sent a press release to us, as Orange County DUI Lawyers, explaining that the San Bernardino Police Department will be conducting a DUI checkpoint on Saturday, December 12, 2009, from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m., in the area of Highland Avenue and Guthrie Street. DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving.
A DUI/Drivers License checkpoint is an effort to arrest persons suspected of DUI, as well as insuring drivers have a valid driver’s license. A major component of these checkpoints is to increase awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to encourage sober designated drivers.
A DUI checkpoint is not a proven effective method for achieving this goal, with a conviction rate lower than 1% based on motorists stopped. However police agencies have substantial political pressure, from groups like MADD, and obtain a large amount of federal and state funding to run such checkpoints, which are then staffed by MADD volunteers, the San Bernardino Police Department believes motorists can be deterred from drinking and driving.
Traffic volume and weather permitting, all vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested.
Tags
Alcohol, Driving under the influence, Freakonomics, Health, Steven Levitt, SuperFreakonomics, Traffic collision, United States
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
(I’m posting the DUI checkpoint below for information purposes. As an Orange County DUI lawyer, who also takes Los Angeles DUI cases, I often get notification of other DUI checkpoints in surrounding areas).
Coachella Valley, California – DUI Checkpoint Scheduled for Friday, November 13th, 2009
Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District Targets Impaired Drivers with Checkpoint Checkpoint
Due to an increase in alcohol-related accidents over the past few years, the Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District, which includes the unincorporated communities of Mecca, Oasis, Thermal, and Vista Santa Rosa, will be conducting a Driving Under the Influence / Driver’s License checkpoint this coming Friday, November 13, 2009, between the hours of 6:00 P.M. and 2:00 A.M. The operation will be supported by the California Highway Patrol and the City of Coachella, in an effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol-involved crashes. DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving.
All too often, residents of the southern Coachella Valley are senselessly injured or killed on local roadways by impaired drivers. This DUI / Driver’s License checkpoint is an effort to reduce those tragedies, as well as ensuring drivers have a valid driver’s license. A major component of these checkpoints is to increase awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and to encourage sober designated drivers.
A DUI checkpoint is a proven-effective method for achieving this goal. By publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, the Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District believes motorists can be deterred from drinking and driving. Traffic volume and weather permitting, all vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and / or drugs will be arrested. Our objective is to send a clear message to those who are considering driving a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol and / or drugs – Drunk Driving, Over the Limit, Under Arrest.
The public is encouraged to help keep roadways safe by calling 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver. The majority of funding for this operation is provided by the Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District. If anyone has any questions, they can contact Sgt Steve DaSilva or Lieutenant Frank Taylor at (760)863-8990.
Date/Time Written: November 7, 2009/ 1630 hours
Type of Incident: DUI / Driver’s License Safety Checkpoint
Date/Time of Incident: November 13, 2009
Location(s) of Incident: Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District, encompassing the communities of Mecca, Oasis, Thermal, and Vista Santa Rosa
Reporting Officer: Sgt. Steve DaSilva
Tags
Alcohol, Driving under the influence, Freakonomics, Health, Steven Levitt, SuperFreakonomics, Traffic collision, United States
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Halloween is coming! And officers will be driving around, looking for cute girls in costumes to pull over drivers operating a motor vehicle above a 0.08% blood alcohol level. As of this writing (October 29th, 2009), I am not aware of any formal DUI checkpoints (which, statistics show, don’t work anyway). However, the more successful DUI Saturation Patrols are going to be in force this Halloween weekend, especially near areas where Halloween Parties are going to be commonplace.
The press release below, sent to me as a Lawyer in Orange County who practices DUI, is the police attempt at humor. The California AVOID campaign also has mention of special enforcement for Halloween.
Motorists Beware: Drunk Driving Will Not Be Tolerated!
Don’t Let Halloween Turn into a Horror Story
Halloween is a much-loved fall tradition that is enjoyed by people of all ages, but it is a particularly deadly night due to drunk drivers. This is why the “Avoid the 12” DUI Task Force will be cracking down on drunk drivers with an aggressive DUI enforcement effort.
“With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, we want to make sure revelers aren’t taking the party to the roadways, putting trick-or-treaters and responsible motorists at risk,” said Sgt. J. Brittain of the Sheriff’s Department’s Traffic Bureau. “Law enforcement officers throughout the region will be out in full force arresting and removing drunk drivers from our roads.”
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2008, 58 percent of all highway fatalities across the nation on Halloween night (6 pm Oct. 31 to 5:59 am Nov. 1) involved a driver or a motorcycle rider with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher. In California, 462 individuals have been killed or injured in Alcohol Involved Collisions during the past five Halloween nights – 2004-2008.
The “Avoid the 12” Task Force will be deploying additional DUI patrols on Friday & Saturday night. Additionally, every traffic and patrol officer working this weekend will be focusing on removing impaired drivers before they crash. Funding for this program is from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The “Avoid the 12” Task Force also recommends these simple tips:
Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;
Before drinking, please designate a sober driver;
If you’re ‘Buzzed’ – impaired, and haven’t designated a sober driver, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely;
If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact law enforcement;
‘Report Drunk Drivers – Call 9-1-1’
For more information, please contact Media Relations at (714) 647-7042. For information on “Avoid the 12”, please visit www.californiaavoid.org.
Tags
Alcohol, Driving under the influence, Freakonomics, Health, Steven Levitt, SuperFreakonomics, Traffic collision, United States
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Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
The Coachella Police Department will be conducting a DUI / Driver’s License Checkpoint on Saturday, 9/05/09, between the hours of 7:00 P.M. to 2:00 A.M. In an effort to reduce the number of persons killed and injured in alcohol involved crashes, DUI checkpoints are conducted to identify offenders and get them off the street, as well as educate the public on the dangers of impaired driving.
A DUI checkpoint is a not-very effective method for achieving this goal. By publicizing these enforcement and education efforts, the Coachella Police Department believes motorists can be deterred from drinking and driving.
Traffic volume and weather permitting, all vehicles may be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs will be arrested. Our objective is to send a clear message to those who are considering driving a motor vehicle after consuming alcohol and/or drugs – Drunk Driving, Over the Limit, Under Arrest. The public is encouraged to help keep roadways safe by calling 911 if they see a suspected impaired driver.
The above press release was sent from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to the Orange County DUI attorneys at our firm.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
Sheriff Stanley Sniff
Indio Station – City of Coachella Police Department
PRESS RELEASE
Date/Time Written: 09-01-09
Type of Incident:
DUI / Driver’s License Checkpoint
Date/Time of Incident: 09-05-09
Location(s) of Incident: N/A
Reporting Officer: Sgt. Mike Tapp
File Number: N/A
Coachella Police Department Targets
Impaired Drivers with Checkpoint
Tags
Alcohol, Driving under the influence, Freakonomics, Health, Steven Levitt, SuperFreakonomics, Traffic collision, United States
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