Friday, April 10, 2009

Don't drink and bike!

From the NY Times:

Don’t drink and drive? What about “Don’t drink and bike?”

Some 21 percent of autopsies for New York City bicyclists who died within three hours of their accidents detected alcohol in the body, according to a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene study that examined fatal bicycling accidents in New York City from 1996 to 2005.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't even walk while stone drunk. Stay home or drink coffee until you regain a measure of sobriety.

What frosts my cake is the easy acceptance of a binge-drinking culture. My father was an old-school bartender and he would have cut 90% of these drunks off before they could become a danger to themselves or others.

Remember, Dram Shop Law, Host responsibility Law--look them up if you don't know what they mean.

Anonymous said...

maybe a few sobriety check points on those lovely bike lanes?or just run'em thru the regular check points whenpossible i would think it to be enforceable albeit not practical

Erik Baard said...

Biking and drinking is absolutely a problem. As a civic issue it's a far lower priority because of the tonnages and speeds involved (the potential of drunk driving motorists to prove lethal to themselves and others, is far greater -- ditto for property damages) but my fears for friends are significant. Enforcement of the law is unquestionably a proper instrument to combat this needless loss of life, but an awareness campaign might be more effective. And yes, sensible and community-minded "od-school bartenders" who care enough to think beyond the tip.