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Getting drunk: Twenty cities that don't know how to handle their liquor
California loves to get wasted! San Diego and San Jose are the top two cities that drink stupidly, according to a survey by Insurance.com. They lead the country in alcohol-related driving violations, a dubious distinction to say the least. So, if you step into the crosswalk in these two spots, take an extra second to look both ways. The reasons for hitting this list vary and include proximity to colleges and nightlife, and the presence of stringent enforcement may play a key role, the survey finds. If you think a lack of enforcement puts a city at the top of the list, remember that slapping the cuffs on a lot of people increases the instances of drunk driving, which actually pushes it up. Insurance.com explains:
San Diego most likely tops the list because its police departments are aggressive in making DUI arrests, and officers there arrest lots of drunk drivers, says Mark McCullough, a San Diego police department spokesperson specializing in DUI issues.
To pull the list of 20 drunk driving metropolitan areas together, according to Insurance Networking News, Insurance.com analyzed "percentage of its car insurance online quote requests for which users reported alcohol-related driving violations."
So, who made the top 20? Take a look below:
- San Diego, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Charlotte, NC
- Phoenix, AZ
- Columbus, OH
- Indianapolis, IN
- Los Angeles, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Austin, TX
- Jacksonville, FL
- San Antonio, TX
- Dallas, TX
- Houston, TX
- Fort Worth, TX
- Memphis, TN
- Philadelphia, PA
- New York, NY
- Baltimore, MD
- Chicago, IL
- Detroit, MI
Boston got lucky on this one. It was excluded because of a lack of data – not because the drivers there are absolutely nuts.
Disclosure: I learned how to drive in Boston.
[Via Insurance Networking News, photo by davidsonscott15 via Flickr]
Filed under: Food and Drink, North America, United States, News
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sam the Deaf Oct 8th 2010 9:14AM
Austin, TX on listing? Of course, make sense, because of 6th street.
BTW I'll be in Austin tonight! Of course, I'll be careful!
Rachel Oct 8th 2010 9:47AM
Charlotte, NC?? I live in Charlotte and I am not surprised, but surprised at the same time. Maybe the police are more actively pursuiting drunk drivers in Charlotte? We did have a police check-point a couple of weeks ago in my neighborhood at like 11:30pm and there were like 50 citations and 11 DWI arrests in a 4 hour period. I was shocked by those numbers.