A recoved alcoholic explains a simple fact. It’s why dry county traffic crash rates related to alcohol 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. 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 laws.

Believe me, Dr. Hanson. Dry county law 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.

But 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.

Dry County Traffic Crash Rates Related to Alcohol

Resources

Web

• • Dry Counties. Prohib Counties in the US Today.
  • Geog of Alco and Drinking. 
  • Dry Counties Have Higher DWI Death Rates.
  • The Geog of Am Binge Drinking.
  • The Geog of Heavy Drinking, Mapped.
  • Distilled Geog. Europe’s Alco Belts.

Books & Articles

        Wet/Dry Effects

• • Gary, S., et al. Consideration of driver home county prohib and alco-related vehicle crashes. Acc Anal Prev, 35(5), 641-648.
  • Winn, R. and Giacopassi, D. Effects of county-level alco prohib on crashes. Soc Sci Q, 74, 783-792.

Geography

• • Bromley, R. and Nelson, A. Alco-related crime and disorder across urban space. Geofor, 33, 239-254.
  • Jayne, M., et al. Geog of alco, drinking and drunkenness. Prog Hum Geo, 32(2), 247–63.
  • Moreno, C. and Wilton, R. Geographies of Drugs and Alcohol.
  • Smith, C. and Hanham, R. Alco Abuse: Geog Perspectives. 
  • Lipton, R. The spatial dynamics of violence and alco outlets. J Stud Alco, 63(2), 187-195.
  • Shelton, N. and Savell, E. The geog of binge drinking. Health Place, 17(3), 782-792.
  • Valentine, G. et al. Drinking Places. Social Geog of Drinking.
  • Wieczorek, W. Using geog information systems. In: Wilson, R., and Dufour, M., (eds). Alco Problems in Small Geog Areas. Pp. 137-162.