Sep 7, 2009 11:22 pm US/Eastern
Study: Attitudes Toward Drunk Driving Are Stricter
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
In an average year in Maryland, between 600 and 650 people will die because of the choices made by a drunk driver. Though that figure has remained the same for the past few years, new research at the University of Maryland shows that attitudes toward drinking and driving are getting tougher.
Mike Schuh has the findings.
For seven years, a University of Maryland researcher has studied the attitudes of drivers and how they drive. His results are encouraging. Fewer people are driving after drinking and there are widespread penalties against those who are caught drunk.
In fact a new University of Maryland survey shows 90% of us feel drunk driving is a critical concern.
"We have seen a significant reduction in the number of people who report driving after drinking," said UM lead researcher Dr. Kenneth Beck.
The number of people who actually admit to drinking and driving, well that's dropping, too. The figure was 13% in 2003 and that has dropped to 7.5% in 2009.
"So people are less likely to drink and drive, and are more likely to think they'll be caught if they do so," Beck said.
"I agree with the laws, how they're buckling down and doing the roadblocks and all that stuff," said motorist Patrick Hassen.
Especially when you consider what he's been through.
"Well, unfortunately, I had a DUI when I was 20," he said.
He says that bust permanently changed his behavior.
"Spending the night in jail or getting fines and stuff is not worth having a few beers. Plus, I don't want to be out there killing anybody," he said.
When it comes to penalties, people want them to be tougher: 58% would like to see a $1,000 fine after the first conviction and 87% would like to see it after the second conviction.
As a tow truck driver, Thomas Wilcher has seen the effects firsthand.
"You might have a DWI car that might have to be cut in half to get the person out," he said.
Forty-one percent believe the car should be impounded after the first offense and 75% say impound it after the second.
"Don't drink and drive, don't speed. Things that seem so obvious," Beck said.
Using a cell phone has shown a distinct deterioration of driving skill. The survey shows that most of us in Maryland are confident in our own abilities, but somehow the other driver is the one who is affected by using a cell phone.
That survey also shows that 55% of Maryland drivers have had an encounter with an aggressive driver in the past 30 days.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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