The Perils of Drunk Walking (Ep. 55)
(Photo: Chris Turner)
In our latest Freakonomics Radio on Marketplace podcast, Stephen Dubner looks at why the first decision you make in 2012 can be riskier than you think. (Download/subscribe at iTunes, get the RSS feed, listen via the media player above, or read the transcript.)
The risks of driving drunk are well-established; it’s an incredibly dangerous thing to do, and produces massive collateral damage as well. So if you have a bit too much to drink over the holiday and think you’ll do the smart thing and walk home instead — well, that’s not so smart after all. Steve Levitt has compared the risk of drunk walking with drunk driving and found that the former can potentially pose a greater risk:
LEVITT: For every mile walked drunk, turns out to be eight times more dangerous than the mile driven drunk. To put it simply, if you need to walk a mile from a party to your home, you’re eight times more likely to die doing that than if you jump behind the wheel and drive your car that same mile.
Levitt is not advocating that people drive drunk instead — but rather that we look harder at the numbers behind drunk walking. In 2009, the most recent year for which we have data, about 34,000 people died in traffic accidents. Roughly half of them were drivers — 41 percent of whom were drunk. There were more than 4,000 pedestrians killed — and 35 percent of them were drunk. Of course, a drunk walker can’t hurt or kill someone else the way a drunk driver can, and people drive drunk much farther distances than they’d walk drunk. But the danger is hardly insignificant, says trauma surgeon Thomas Esposito. His hospital, Loyola University Health System, outside of Chicago, consistently sees a spike in patients who have been struck by cars during this time of year:
ESPOSITO: I’d rather work New Year’s Eve than New Year’s Day. Because a lot of the time on New Year’s Day, that’s when people start to realize someone’s missing, where are they? And then they find them on the bottom of the stairs or the side of the road, injured.
This annual spike at Loyola mirrors nationwide trends. A report by the journal Injury Prevention found that January 1 is the deadliest day for pedestrians.
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Jade
So, walking drunk is a problem, what about walking while listen to music? http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/01/17/145347424/listen-up-walkers-watch-out-for-traffic-when-wearing-headphones?ft=1&f=1001 I would be curious to know how they compare, and what about while talking on the phone?
Aaron
As I see it, it's just another reason for people to use our web service and iPhone application -- FreeRideHome.com. It's a free, one-of-a-kind service providing adult beverage consumers with options for getting home safely. FreeRideHome uses an individual’s current location to find safe and sober driver programs offered in their area, and puts him or her in touch with these programs. Many of the sober driver programs offer free or discounted services. The FreeRideHome App makes getting home safely as easy as a touch of a button.
Proceeds from the FreeRideHome App are used to promote this service and ensure people get home safely after a night out. Remember to always drink responsibly.
The application cap be download for free at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/freeridehome/id433385258?mt=8&ls=1
Together, we can make drunk driving history!
Seth
I heard the article on Marketplace and I agree that this is a double edged sword of which risky behavior do we want. Don't Drive drunk, but don't walk either. The real problem is drunk drivers running over drunk walkers. I hate it when that happens...jk
Glad to see the other comment about applying technology to solve a problem. It's about fundamentally changing our perception of what's cool and acceptable behavior.
PL
So, the smart question is how do you resolve the "entire" issue, whether driving or walking? Well, I would say its really simple, especially based on the current use of technology / phones, current college programs available and a new iPhone App I signed up too. If you check out the current "FreeRideHome" iphone App, it allows you to press a button on your iPhone, figures out where your located, and provides sober ride program options to get you home...whether driving or walking...you can choose one of the providers or you can call a cab in your location. Having used the App, I would use the programs in that many are either FREE or will bring you home in your OWN CAR! Anything else available like this providing sober ride programs or cabs?
DP
Really......Drunk walking as a issue!!!! Unless you are 400 pounds plus I dont think you can do much damage in a hit and run. Having had a friend killed by a Drunk Driver I am in favor of anything to get people to willingly pull themselves out from behind the wheel. This freeridehome site makes sense and it lets people think they are still in control.
MP
All I can say is if you have to choose between driving drunk and walking drunk, WALK! At least you won't kill me!
Olive McConnell
I disagree with your comment regarding drunk walkers. I have had the misfortune to experience a drunk walker on the motorway a section that had no lighting , I was on my way home from work.I just heard a bang to my car I thought I had a flat tyre then something landed on my windscreen I later found out it was a man. If I had to have been driving my previous car he would have come through the windscreen and I would not be writing to you now I had just got my new car the evening before( just 24 hours.) The truck behind me had to drive into the ditch to avoid hitting me from the back. The man's body was dragged several hundred yards up the motorway by a SUV who had no choice to either hit the truck or go straight and drive over the bundle he was later to find out was a body. It seems the man fell off my car back onto the centre of the motorway.The SUV was carrying 6 children. He thanked me at the inquest for saving so many lives.
My first reaction was to get out of the car luckily my door was damaged which most certainly would have caused a pileup I was shocked and not realising I was still on the motorway. I had stopped my car and managed to switch on the hazzard lights which alerted the truck behind.
So drunk walking does pose a real danger to drivers.
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Mitchell
The problem with the comparison between drunk walking and drunk driving is that the study assumes being drunk is a constant variable. They do not consider how intoxicated the users are during their fatalities. A person who knows they will be walking home is far more likely to have a higher BAC than a person who knows they will be driving home. Also, how many of the drunk walking fatalities were caused by a drunk driver?
Alan
I wish they would post better stats on how they come up with the number eight times more likely to be killed drunk walking than drunk driving.
They mention "In 2009, the most recent year for which we have data, about 34,000 people died in traffic accidents. Roughly half of them were drivers — 41 percent of whom were drunk. There were more than 4,000 pedestrians killed — and 35 percent of them were drunk."
So thats 6970 dead drunk drivers
And 1400 dead drunk pedestrians.
On an average night I'd say there are many more miles covered by drunk walkers than drunk drivers.... Am I missing something here?
Ivan
It's even safer to drunk-drive a tank while shooting its main gun at random.
Safer for the driver, that is.
Bennnn
I don't think those of us who enjoy drinking (and driving... I KID!... kinda) should be convinced that it's ok to drive after drinking, but rather all of us, should realize the dangers of walking home drunk. All of us who are responsible have done it countless time, and just have to think back to realize how true these stats are.
Drifter
Day 3 of my sorbiety attempt http://www.myattemptatsobrity.com/ not so sure if having lunches with coworkers is such a good idea.
http://www.myattemptatsobrity.com/
jbrown
I have a spreadsheet of 250 victims of walking home drunk from the US in the past 20 years. All went missing walking home from bars. If their bodies were found, they were in bodies of water- rivers, lakes, retaining ponds, etc. 80% are caucasian, college aged men of average height and weight. Many were asked by a cab driver if he needed a free ride home. Drunk walking alone is very dangerous. They are vulnerable because they are trusting (college aged) and drunk (impaired decision making). I think many were drugged in the bars.