Posted on 04/23/2008 5:51:35 AM PDT by Fawn
Wisconsin leads the U.S. in drunken driving rates — and Minnesota is not far behind. So says a federal government report released today.
A CLOSER LOOK
It's estimated more than a quarter of Wisconsin's adult drivers drove under the influence in the past year. Rounding out the worst five states — all from the Upper Midwest — were North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota.
WHICH STATE WAS THE BEST?
Utah had the lowest incidence of drunken driving. It was the only state where fewer than 10 percent of adult drivers reported driving drunk. Next came West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina — all with rates of less than 11 percent.
WHY SUCH DIFFERENCES?
Cultural and demographic issues probably have a role, said Eric Goplerud, research professor at George Washington University Medical Center. He said:
This explains alot when it comes to Wisconsin! LOL
There’s gotta be a cheese joke in there somewhere...
That's an interesting observation.
The state stinks? It’s full of holes? They’re all yellow?
“That’s an interesting observation.”
Yep. I call BS. I’d love to see supporting documentation.
My first thought is, Minnesota and Wisconsin are liberal strongholds. Liberals are short on personal accountability, and self control. That’s one reason liberals are so quick to embrace laws that restrict personal freedom. They need government to control their behavior.
That is not to say conservatives don’t make mistakes. But conservatives tend to realize that they are on their own if they make a mistake, and they will have to pay the price.
Yep....this isn’t so much a measure of which states have the most drunk drivers as much as it is which states have the strictest enforcement.
A good thing about this state; order a Bloody Mary at any bar and you’ll get a beer wash on the side.
I love it!
That explains why I don’t like this state or it’s people.....most are redneck barbarians! (I’m sure there are nice ones....but I haven’t met any yet)
Me too. I think the professor pulled that conclusion out of his exhaust pipe. My first thought was perhaps it's the long cold snowy winters in these states that might cause a tendency towards increased depression that might tend to manifest itself in increased tendencies to drink, but that's just my hypothesis.
You betcha, ya darn tootin' ... 'cause, usually it's wine and cheese in the sophisticated other 49; but Wisconsin is full of hicks--Beer and cheese plus a couple of brats.
West Virginia and Kentucky have low percentages of African Americans: 3.2% and 7.3%, comparable to Wisconsin (5.7%). (In Arkansas and North Carolina, their percentage of the population exceeds the national average.) African American DWI habits are not the principal reason for low DWI rates. The main reason is cultural: evangelical and Mormon social mores frown on alcohol; Catholic and Lutheran social mores do not, at least in moderation.
Upper midwest is also more populated with Native Americans who have a particular penchant for alcohol. But, blacks drinking lower and less hazardous? No way, you ought to see the Colt .45 malt liquor cans littering my neighborhood!
It would have been helpful had the article’s writer porvided a link or citation to where the federal government report could be viewed or read. I’d like to see where my state ranks.
I don’t know about that. Drinking and driving are part of the culture in smaller towns and rural areas, which tend to be pretty red even in MN and WI. And how do you explain the Dakotas, which are the reddest of red states?
Everytime they lower the BAC limit, the number of “drunk” drivers skyrockets. Who could have predicted that?
Yankees drink hard licker at rates that most Southerners find shocking.
“Next came West Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina”
Folks there are so drunk, they can’t drive.
It is very hard for me to believe that some of the states not in the top ten here would have fewer impaired drivers.
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