Getting drunk: Twenty cities that don’t know how to handle their liquor

by Tom Johansmeyer on

California loves to get wasted! San Diego and San Jose are the top two cities that drink stupidly, according to a survey by Insurance.com. They lead the country in alcohol-related driving violations, a dubious distinction to say the least. So, if you step into the crosswalk in these two spots, take an extra second to look both ways.

The reasons for hitting this list vary and include proximity to colleges and nightlife, and the presence of stringent enforcement may play a key role, the survey finds. If you think a lack of enforcement puts a city at the top of the list, remember that slapping the cuffs on a lot of people increases the instances of drunk driving, which actually pushes it up. Insurance.com explains:

San Diego most likely tops the list because its police departments are aggressive in making DUI arrests, and officers there arrest lots of drunk drivers, says Mark McCullough, a San Diego police department spokesperson specializing in DUI issues.

To pull the list of 20 drunk driving metropolitan areas together, according to Insurance Networking News, Insurance.com analyzed “percentage of its car insurance online quote requests for which users reported alcohol-related driving violations.”

So, who made the top 20? Take a look below:

  1. San Diego, CA
  2. San Jose, CA
  3. Charlotte, NC
  4. Phoenix, AZ
  5. Columbus, OH
  6. Indianapolis, IN
  7. Los Angeles, CA
  8. San Francisco, CA
  9. Austin, TX
  10. Jacksonville, FL
  11. San Antonio, TX
  12. Dallas, TX
  13. Houston, TX
  14. Fort Worth, TX
  15. Memphis, TN
  16. Philadelphia, PA
  17. New York, NY
  18. Baltimore, MD
  19. Chicago, IL
  20. Detroit, MI

Boston got lucky on this one. It was excluded because of a lack of data – not because the drivers there are absolutely nuts.

Disclosure: I learned how to drive in Boston.

[Via Insurance Networking News, photo by davidsonscott15 via Flickr]

Cops arrest entire drunk crew from Ukraine airline

by Scott Carmichael on

We’ve occasionally written about a captain being pulled from his plane for being over the legal drinking limit, but arresting the entire crew for being drunk? Pretty sure that is a first.

The airline in question is Ukraine based carrier Donbassaero. When local police acted on a tip, they boarded the Yak-42 plane and measured alcohol levels between 0.075 and 0.052 in every member of the crew – flight attendants, pilot and flight engineer. The legal limit in the Ukraine is 0.02.

The airline issued the following statement:

“The exact causes behind the long delay in the departure of the plane are being investigated, after which Donbassaero’s management will take adequate measures”.

The flight was scheduled to fly from Simferopol to Kiev with 86 passengers and was just several minutes away from its departure time. The passengers ended up leaving for Kiev almost 12 hours late. The incident caught the attention of the federal government who have promised a full investigation.

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US Airways can’t have New Mexico liquor license

by Tom Johansmeyer on

US Airways sued New Mexico in 2007 because the state’s Regulation and License Department denied its liquor license application. This came after a passenger killed five people in a crash while driving drunk after getting intoxicated on the flight.

In the suit, US Airways contended that New Mexico can’t control its on-board liquor service, require training for cabin crew about alcohol or enforce any sanctions against the carrier. The airline cited the fact that federal law preempts state law. U.S. District Judge M. Christina Armijo, though, did not agree, ruling in favor of the state. Under this ruling, US Airways will not be permitted to serve alcohol while flying over New Mexico or while on the ground there.

New Mexico Regulation and License Department Superintendent Kelly O’Donnell calls the decision “a victory, a huge victory, for public safety,” according to the Associated Press. The airline is reviewing the decision.

Pilot hits house, crashes plane then gets up and drives back home

by Scott Carmichael on

Here is a wacky story from the aviation world; a pilot was flying his Cessna towards an air strip at the private Brookeridge Airport near Chicago, when something went wrong.

During his approach, he clipped a house, crashed into some trees and flipped his plane upon impact.

Luck was clearly temporarily on his side, because he was able to walk away, get into a car and drive back home.

When the police visited him at his residence, he was charged with operating a plane while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. After a brief visit to the hospital, the local Sheriff placed him under arrest and he is currently being held on a $100,000 bond.

Of course, it will be interesting to see how the police plan to prove he was drunk when he crashed as I’m sure it is not impossible that he had a stiff drunk to relax after being in a nasty plane crash!

Drunk man tries to steal jet fuel for his car

by Jamie Rhein on

Here is a way to not combat high gas prices. Breaking into an airport to steal jet fuel for your car might seem like a good idea, but it’s one of those feats that gains notice–particularly if you’re drunk. At least at the Reid-Hillview Airport near San Jose, California, it does.

This past Sunday a 20-year–old man tried out that exact scenario, but to no avail. He was caught, arrested and charged with breaking into an airport, attempted theft, and to add insult to injury– driving while drunk.

According to the AP article, the plan was foiled before he ever cooked it up. It sounds like you have to buy the gas with a credit card to get it out of the pump.

If he had succeeded, he might have regretted the decision anyway. Unless he had a race car with a special engine, his regular car engine probably would not have liked the jet fuel diet. That’s what I found out when checked out the difference between jet fuel and normal fuel.