Mothers Against Drunk Driving has been very successful in pushing for lower blood-alcohol levels, Draconian criminal penalties, widespread roadblocks, unreliable evidence — and eroding our constitutional rights in the process. See, for example, The DUI Exception to the Constitution and DUI, MADD and the "New Prohibition".
However, it would appear that MADD’s aim might be constructively redirected to their fellow Mothers…
Drunken Driving Arrests for Women Up 36 Percent
Washington, DC. Dec. 6 — The number of drunken-driving arrests for women has shot up in recent years according to a study being released today by the Traffic Injury Research Foundation.
They’ve increased 36 percent over the last decade.
In case you’re thinking about having a glass of wine or two before bringing your child to a friend’s house, here’s more to ruin the idea: The study also found that the average female drunk driver is older and better educated than her male counterparts. They also tend to hold lower-paying jobs and be primary caregivers to children.
That profile wasn’t a shock to researchers since the study, funded by the distillers’ association The Century Council, was triggered by the attention-getting accident in 2009 when a mother, Diane Schuler, drove her minivan down the wrong side of a New York highway. She caused a crash that killed herself, her daughter, her three nieces and three men in another car. It was later determined that she had been drunk and high.
Schuler’s was an extreme case that jolted attention to the unspoken truth that some parents drink to excess while caring for their children. Upsetting as it was, though, the news left many parents thinking that her drinking shared no resemblance to their own. A glass or two of wine during the day didn’t seem in the same league.
What today’s study reveals is that mothering and drinking may be a more common problem than we realize…
Physician, cure thyself?
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