Dry counties have a higher drunk driving accident rate than wet counties

The Lufkin Daily News ran an article in its October 29, 2006 edition that showed “dry” counties in Texas – where alcohol is not available for off-premise – has a higher drunk driving accident rate than “wet” counties. The statistics, compiled by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), show that dry counties had a fatality rate in drunk driving accidents of 6.8 per 10,000 people. Conversely, wet counties had 1.9 fatalities per 10,000 people.

This apparent oddity may sound strange to some people, but not to Oscar Dillahunty, spokesman for Angelina County Citizens for Responsible Business. "I'm not surprised," he told the Lufkin Daily News. "There is less distance you've got to drive."

And that, according to Mr. Dillahunty, is the key factor. He said that anti-alcohol groups like to make the public believe the opposite – that being a dry county reduces the drunk driving accident rate. But when people must drive further to obtain alcohol, there is a more likely chance of getting into an accident.

Although the drunk driving accident statistics seem to bear him out, not everyone agrees. Lee Miller, a spokesman for Angelina County Citizens for a Better Community (a group that opposes alcohol sales), told the newspaper that the number of fatalities isn’t the issue. "DUIs go up" in wet counties, he said. As to the higher fatality rates, he said that comparing wet counties with dry counties was like “comparing apples to oranges.”

The facts are clear: from 2001 to 2005, 46 dry counties in Texas had 574 drunk driving accident deaths – combined population was 841,197. In the 38 wet counties with a combined population of 9.3 million, there were 1,840 deaths. In other words, population density in wet counties are 11 times higher than in dry counties, but the drunk driving accident rate was only 3 times higher.

How you interpret those facts is obviously up for speculation. Perhaps Mr. Miller is right, that it is apples and oranges. Perhaps wet counties have more DUIs because police are looking for drunk drivers more than in dry counties. This could show that efforts to get drunk drivers off the road are working better in wet counties.

But regardless of the analysis, the fact is that drunk driving is a problem throughout Texas. If you or a loved one has been injured by in a drunk driving accident, contact a personal injury attorney in Jim S. Adler & Associates for a free case assessment. Alcohol-related cases are often more complicated than the average traffic accident claim, which is why it is important to have proper representation. A drunk driving accident lawyer from Jim S. Adler & Associates will make sure that your rights are protected, and that you secure the highest compensation package possible to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and mental anguish. Call Jim S. Adler & Associates directly, at 1-800-505-1414, or fill out the form on this page to start your free drunk driving accident case review.

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