How We All Pay for Alcohol Consumption
Drinking is expensive. If you do it or did it, you know that. If you don't imbibe, you're paying a price anyway.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that excessive alcohol consumption costs the U.S. about $250 billion a year, mainly due to losses in workplace productivity, health care expenses, criminal justice costs, motor vehicle crashes, and property damage. (https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/data-stats.htm#economicCosts)
If you are a binge drinker (four or more drinks per occasion for women, five or more for men) you were responsible for 77% of the cost of drinking alcohol. Whether you drink or not, federal, state, and local taxpayers got stuck with $2 of every $5 of those economic costs.
The CDC has the costs of intoxication broken down by state, if you're interested. States where I lived or have many Facebook friends include Kentucky (cost per capita $736), Pennsylvania ($751), Idaho ($726), Washington ($863),
California ($940), Ohio ($739), Texas ($748), and Florida ($815).
Fortunately, DUI rates seem to be dropping most places. Reasons might be higher penalties, education, or less aggressive policing.
Here in Louisville, WDRB reports today that DUI arrests are down sharply, which some are attributing to ride sharing.
LMPD made 2,700 arrests in 2013. Uber and Lyft came to town in 2014, the year when DUI arrests began to drop.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that excessive alcohol consumption costs the U.S. about $250 billion a year, mainly due to losses in workplace productivity, health care expenses, criminal justice costs, motor vehicle crashes, and property damage. (https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/data-stats.htm#economicCosts)
If you are a binge drinker (four or more drinks per occasion for women, five or more for men) you were responsible for 77% of the cost of drinking alcohol. Whether you drink or not, federal, state, and local taxpayers got stuck with $2 of every $5 of those economic costs.
The CDC has the costs of intoxication broken down by state, if you're interested. States where I lived or have many Facebook friends include Kentucky (cost per capita $736), Pennsylvania ($751), Idaho ($726), Washington ($863),
California ($940), Ohio ($739), Texas ($748), and Florida ($815).
Fortunately, DUI rates seem to be dropping most places. Reasons might be higher penalties, education, or less aggressive policing.
Annual Self-reported Alcohol-impaired Driving Episodes among U.S. Adults
|
 |
LMPD made 2,700 arrests in 2013. Uber and Lyft came to town in 2014, the year when DUI arrests began to drop.
Comments
Post a Comment