Health
Many people who go to New Year's parties think about which drink they should choose. However, if you want to stay safe and sound while driving, you should avoid beer, although it would probably be best to take a taxi.
New research shows that beer drinkers are more likely to get into fatal accidents than those who prefer vodka, scotch or other strong drinks. In fact, in states where wine is more popular, fewer drunk drivers die.
“Beer is associated with a greater risk of death for drunk motorists than strong drinks. Wine, on the other hand, has a negative impact on fatal car accidents,” says Bradley Rickard, Professor of Economics and Applied Management at Cornell University.
This study was published in the Journal of the American Association of Wine Economists earlier this year and was based more on statistics than on social explanations, but Ricard has several theories commenting on this data.
“Wine is most often consumed with food. This is the difference, since everyone knows that a snack dulls the effect of alcohol. We also suspect that wine and beer are usually drunk by different demographic groups,” said the author of the study. “Perhaps an audience who loves wine is unlikely to drive after a couple of glasses, and therefore she's less likely to get into an accident.”
In 2010, nearly 11,000 Americans died in car crashes caused by drunk drivers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This accounts for a third of all car accidents. The good news is that this is 20 per cent lower than in 2006. The centers did not take into account what kind of alcohol was consumed, but Rickard and his colleagues tested this.
Rickard said that he was motivated to address this issue by the fact that recent attempts were made to ban the sale of wine in grocery stores. Those who advocated this law believed that the availability of wine could lead to young people drinking more alcohol, more health problems and an increased risk of accidents. Rickard said his research did not support the latter argument.
“The traditional view that alcoholic beverages with a higher alcohol content are more dangerous and increase the risk of accidents has not been confirmed thanks to our research,” said Rickard. Moreover, restricting the sale of alcohol after 10 pm is the most effective way to prevent fatal accidents caused by drunk drivers.
“We're not saying that if you drink wine, you'll drive well,” says Rickard. “You should just look at the statistics: states that drink the most beer have the most people dies in car accidents due to drunk drivers.”
New Mexico, Wyoming, Mississippi, and Montana are the states with the most beer drinkers and the most car crashes per capita. Wine lovers live in California and the northeastern states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. In these states, people are less likely to get into accidents caused by drunk driving.
The laws give the right to sell wine, beer and liquors in grocery stores, and they have not changed since 2000 (with the exception of Washington State, which does not allow liqueurs to be sold in major stores grocery stores). Support groups and law enforcement agencies are doing everything possible to increase penalties for drunk driving, and are also advocating for the introduction of technologies that would block ignition keys to prevent the car from starting if a drunk driver is driving.