From a story in the Minnesota Daily, here’s a chart showing impaired driving (i.e. drunk or other drugs) crashes in Minnesota over the last decade.
The article quotes a researcher who claims that drunk driving “isn’t a driving problem, it’s a drinking problem,” and suggests focusing on the binge drinking treatment side of the picture. Here’s the relevant quote:
In a joint study between the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health and Boston University released earlier this month, researchers discovered that states that have alcohol policies for drivers coupled with laws aimed at preventing binge drinking also have fewer drunken drivers.Researchers say the results of the study should motivate states to adopt harsher drinking and driving laws.Some states are more restrictive on drunken driving than they are on binge drinking, but the better way to reduce drunken driving is through tougher policies addressing binge drinking, said Toben Nelson, the study’s co-author and a University community health associate professor.
Certainly a problem with a lot of dynamics, including auto-dependent communities.