Autos, Alcohol, and Accidents

Sort of a surprise! There on TV from the Montana House floor last week was Representative Alan Hale emotionally ranting about the deplorable attitude of the legislature, “trying to destroy the Montana way of life” by enacting tougher DUI laws. He added, such laws are not just bad for historic state social life, but also harmful to “small business.” His rhetoric brought memories of many previous political debates over DUI laws, and I dug out a column written in the mid eighties. That satire was widely reprinted, including in a large California publication. This is it:

There was a startling development last week in the present war against drunk drivers. Down in the rip roaring town of Livingston, Montana, the Bar Owners Association talked the city council into rejecting a state grant which would have funded more police help in cracking down on inebriated vehicle operators. The bar owners argument was straight forward and honest as can be. They said the current city, state, and national campaigns against drunk driving were already raising absolute hell with the booze business, and further pressure might be economically disastrous.

Most of us have never before given serious consideration to the importance of the drunk driving industry on the nation’s overall economy, but now our eyes have been opened.

Snockered drivers are not just important to bar owners. They generate billions of dollars in business for others.

Think about where they create the most activity. Maybe there are a couple of billion in the auto replacement, repair, and salvage business. Can you imagine trying to run all those body shops, garages, and salvage yards on just crashes caused by the sober crowd?

Then there is the biggest business in the world, insurance. True! Only a few full time drunk drivers can or will carry liability themselves, but look at the tremendous volume of underwriting sales, claims adjustments, and litigation made possibly by their crashes into other people’s cars and property. You stop this and you’re talkin’ about throwing tens of thousands of innocent workers out of a job.

Some would estimate without drunken drivers weaving along the highways and byways we’d have to lay off at least 25% of the highway patrol, police officers, and county mounties. Those guys have to eat too, ya know.

Sad but true! Among the other folks who routinely benefit financially from the plastered pedal pusher business are the hospitals and courts, all the professionals who operate them … the doctors and lawyers as well as support personnel.

There are in excess of 25,000 people killed annually in the U.S., in vehicle accidents involving one or more drivers “under the influence.” If the average funeral only cost $2,500, that would still mean 100 million dollars gone from mortuaries.

It is good to have a farsighted city council right here in Montana with the rare combination of wisdom and courage necessary to expose sneaky threats to the nations economic well being.

Sleep well, you folks down in Livingston … but … it wouldn’t hurt to be extra careful out there … on the streets. (End)

Back to 2011! In this latest incident involving Representative Hale, he has been criticized by some fellow legislators, but the strongest reaction came from Becky Sturdevant, an activist with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). She testified she didn’t think Hale represents anyone in the state except himself. That’s a nice optimistic thought, but … I wouldn’t bet a nickel on it.