A recovering alcoholic explains why dry county alcohol-related crash rates are higher than in wet counties.
Dear Dr. Hanson:
Just a note. Thank you for writing the article noting the effect of dry counties on alcohol-related traffic accidents. (Dry Counties Have Higher DWI Fatality Rates.)
As a long-term recovered alcoholic living in an Arkansas dry county, I can readily verify your view that dry counties should cause MORE alcohol-related traffic accidents.
Of course they do – an alkie HAS TO DRINK. And if that means having to drive a long distance home after drinking in a wet county, so be it. A classic case of back-firing legislation.
Believe me, Dr. Hanson: Dry county legislation has NEVER caused a serious drinker to reduce his consumption of alcohol. On the contrary, he just has to drive farther to drink or stock up on his home supply.
Unfortunately there’s a religious element involved that can be difficult to argue with. But the facts as you wrote them just might penetrate.
Regards, and most sincere thanks,
N. H.
Resources: Dry County Alcohol-Related Traffic Crashes
Web Pages
- Dry Counties: Prohibition Counties in the US Today.
- Geography of Alcohol and Drinking.
- Dry Counties Have Higher DWI Fatality Rates.
- The Geography of American Binge Drinking.
- From Genes to Geography. The Cutting Edge of Alcohol Research.
- The Geography of Heavy Drinking, Mapped.
- Distilled Geography. Europe’s Alcohol Belts.
Books & Articles
Wet/Dry Effects
Gary, S., et al. Consideration of driver home county prohibition and alcohol-related vehicle crashes. Acc Anal Prev, 2003, 35(5), 641-648.
Winn, R. and Giacopassi, D. Effects of county-level alcohol prohibition on crashes. Soc Sci Q, 1993, 74, 783-792.
Geography of Alcohol
Bromley, R. and Nelson, A. Alcohol-related crime and disorder across urban space and time. Geoforum, 2002, 33, 239-254.
Jayne, M., et al. Geographies of alcohol, drinking and drunkenness. Prog Hum Geo, 2008, 32(2), 247–63.
Moreno, C. and Wilton, R. Using Space. Critical Geographies of Drugs and Alcohol. London: Routledge, 2014.
Smith, C. and Hanham, R. Alcohol Abuse. Geographical Perspectives. Washington: Assn Am Geo,1982.
Lipton, R., and Gruenewald, P. The spatial dynamics of violence and alcohol outlets. J Stud Alco. 2002, 63(2), 187-195.
Shelton, N. and Savell, E. The geography of binge drinking. Health & Place, 2011, 17(3), 782-792.
Valentine, G. et al. Drinking Places. Social Geographies of Consumption. York, UK: Rowntree Found., 2007.
Wieczorek, W. Using geographic information systems. In: Wilson, R., and Dufour, M., eds. Alcohol Problems in Small Geographic Areas. Collingdale. PA: DIANE, 2003, pp. 137-162.