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]

Alleged flasher sues water park after arrest

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Jane Lovett’s wet t-shirt aroused water park officials to take action last April. She was asked to leave the park because her padded bra was visible through the t-shirt (the horror!), and once she did leave, the cops were waiting. Apparently, she has been charged with indecent exposure, which would put every sunbather on Central Park‘s Great Lawn at risk of facing a firing squad (padded bras are not the norm there, I assure you … husbands, don’t bring your wives).

Here’s the way the arrest went down:

Lovett said she accompanied her husband and seven-year-old son to the water park. Outside the gates, she said a police officer asked for her identification. Tavares police claim Lovett didn’t give her name fast enough, WFTV reported. She was picked up on charges of obstruction of justice and resisting arrest without violence.

The charges have since been dropped, though the alleged indecency cost her five hours in jail and $1,500 in fines.

Lovett isn’t taking the experience lying down. She’s picked up a lawyer and plans to sue for “violation of civil rights, false arrest and malicious prosecution,” according to MSNBC.

[photo by bonez1255 via Flickr]

Aussies beware: government won’t help you

by Tom Johansmeyer on

“If you’re too dumb or idle to read the travel advisories … then you ought to take responsibility for your own behaviour,” says former Australian foreign affairs minister Alexander Downer.

And, he has a point. If you roll the dice, you have to be ready to lose … even if you get lucky sometimes.

Australian tourists outside their homeland have been getting into trouble lately – be it because of stolen bar mats or travel to war-torn countries. It’s hard not to respect any sense of adventure, but part of growing that testicular fortitude is knowing that you’re on your own. Downer was shocked to learn that he was “responsible” for every Australian abroad … not to mention being responsible for “their own stupidity.”

Downer says that Australians overseas are subject to special laws … and they are not laws from Australia. The lesson from down under applies anywhere. Leave your home turf, and you really should understand the laws of the land you’re about to explore.

Drunk Brits get Crete arrest for nun prank

by Tom Johansmeyer on

How many people actually dress up as nuns when they get drunk?

In Crete, the answer was “17” recently. That’s how many drunk British tourists were arrested for insulting the Catholic Church. After a bit of extra imbibing, they donned “nun attire and naughty lingerie,” which didn’t sit too well with the local cops.

The tourists were busted in Malia, which is a popular destination for the young, drunk and rowdy. Even seasoned resort-town resident, who’ve probably become immune to the stupidity that tourists bring, have limits, it seems.

The penalty is most likely to be a fine.

UPDATE: After spending the night in jail wearing the lingerie they were wearing when they were arrested, the men have all been set free. Moreover, since no one showed up to testify that they had been upset by the tourists’ bawdy conduct, the court dropped all charges.

More stories of booze gone bad in the skies

June 4 trial date for American journalists in North Korea

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, both reporters for Current TV, will be tried in a North Korean court on June 4, 2009 for entering the country illegally and planning “hostile acts.” Ling and Lee were picked up along North Korea‘s border with China on March 17, 2009

Anybody want to guess how this one will end?

According to reports by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which is controlled by the state, the two reporters have been allowed contact with a consulate. Since the United States does not maintain diplomatic relations with the reclusive Communist state, they met with a representative from the Swedish embassy. Sweden plays the consular role for visitors (willing or otherwise) from many western countries.

What’s missing is a clear description of the charges. It is unclear what the reporters were doing. This will make it difficult to bring the affair to a conclusion.

Though it’s speculation at this point, the charges could carry prison terms of up to two years.