America and drink driving in films

[proff]

Is it not such a big deal there? I seem to watch so many films where it's implied that people drink and drive.

Watched The Big Sick and Moonlight recently where people drink and then drive. I find it really weird!

In this country on road safety in general we are less bad than most countries, not just the US. Still even with breathalysers and the social unacceptability of drink driving in the UK, it causes one in eight deaths or serious injuries, or 1,370 in 2016. In the US it was 29% of all 10,265 deaths in 2015.

I have often wondered this too! In films, bars always seem to have huge car parks. And the phone thing. Those Kardashians are constantly cruising down the highway phone in one hand and other hand on the steering wheel.

@frankchickens
They do set up blanket road checks in the U.K. especially at Christmas time- not sure if it's a force by force thing iyswim but Gloucestershire Constabulary (lol showing my age!) definitely do. It's called Operation Rudolph or similar. They pull over random drivers- about 1:3 and breathalyse them to try and catch the overnight over the limit drivers ie been drinking to 4am and then driving to work at 8.30.

I wouldn't base real people's attitudes towards drinking and driving off of movies and TV shows. 🙈

See I thought the US was quite strict. When we have been to Florida we were told it was zero tolerance for any alcohol. This was a few years ago

Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 28% of the total vehicle traffic fatalities in 2016 in the USA

There was a thread on MN recently about people who have moved from their native country and what they noticed about the country they went to live in. Drink-driving seemed to be one of the main things that was noticed by posters who had lived in the US.

Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 28% of the total vehicle traffic fatalities in 2016 in the USA

Wow, well now it makes sense

You do know films are not real?

You do know films represent and depict reality in fictionalised form?

Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities accounted for 28% of the total vehicle traffic fatalities in 2016 in the USA

Do you know what the stat for the UK is? I've tried googling but can't seem to find it.

Huge difference in the way Bollwood / Korean /Chinese handles on-screen smoking / drinking and the way Hollwood does it. Drinking in general but especially drinking and driving is always viewed negatively in modern Asian cinema; and many films include it just so another character can say how terrible it is. Hollwood needs to grow up and get a similar level of social responsibility; ironic considering most view Hollwood as more ‘mature’ than Asian cinema.

I think it would make for very dull viewing indeed if they only made films with socially responsible messages.

I think it would make for very dull viewing indeed if they only made films with socially responsible messages

Thats not really the point though. It doesn't change a plot much for people to get a taxi instead of getting in their car. The point is that its in the films because its normal for the setting. Where it isn;t normal for the setting it wouldn't be in the film.

SeaToSki I can't find the 2016 data but the 2014 NHTSA report (from December 2015) is interesting: 'Estimates of alcohol-impaired driving are generated using BAC values reported to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and BAC values imputed when they are not reported. The term “alcohol-impaired” does not indicate that a crash or a fatality was caused by alcohol impairment, only that an alcohol-impaired driver was involved in the crash' (my bold).

So it's not quite that simple.

I think it would make for very dull viewing indeed if they only made films with socially responsible messages

But it's not particularly part of the message in the films I've seen, it just is, it's a background thing, the drink driving element isn't mentioned, it's just something I noticed which makes me think it's more accepted as normal there.

Homer Simpson's always driving home from Mo's Tavern too.

Yep, in my experience, most people here drive after drinking. Once they aren't falling down drunk then it's seen as ok. I think the legal limit here works out as around 3 or 4 drinks. If you get caught though , the consequences are serious. Car impounded, license suspended and even losing your job.

In my city they do occasional DUI checks but these are advertised on the news beforehand so people know about them and to avoid the main roads if they are going to do it.

I think it's got to do with America's reliance on cars. Loads of places have terrible or non existent public transport and taxis are expensive and not easy to find if you're outside the city center. Uber recently came to my city and I think more people are choosing to use that now rather than drive because it's cheap , fast and reliable

I'm American and grew up with the common assumption that 1 drink/hour meant you were still safe to drive especially if having it with food. so if you go out at 7pm and Home at midnight 5 beers were ok as long as they were spread out or early in the evening. Now I'm a bit about this. I also clearly remember a friend offering to drive everyone home at uni bc she was 'good at drunk driving.'

We also don't have the really scary, emotive adverts about drunk drinking that I've seen over here. If you kill somebody you are still skewered and everyone judges you, but if you get home and no harm done then people just sort of pull a face.

I think it's got to do with America's reliance on cars. Loads of places have terrible or non existent public transport and taxis are expensive and not easy to find if you're outside the city center. Uber recently came to my city and I think more people are choosing to use that now rather than drive because it's cheap , fast and reliable

Totally agree with this.

I can't find the actual statistics but these days in the UK, speeding and careless driving etc are far bigger causes of accidents than drink driving.

Presumably that's not because drink driving is safe, but because far fewer people actually do it these days.

Just watched Manchester by the Sea and there was some more drink driving in that, it's rife!

When visiting friends in the US, they were surprised that we totally refused to drink when driving - and said it was "fine". And they were exactly the kind of people who here would be totally against drink driving. US police seem to have more leeway over this too, so might give a warning (at least that is the implication I've heard) which just doesn't happen in the UK - if stopped you will be breathalysed and if you fail you will be charged.
I don't have any recollection of consequence free drink driving in UK TV. Even Eastenders has people either walking home, using public transport of getting cabs.

They all do it, there’s not the same social stigma as here. A DUI is seen as an inconvenience mainly in case they lose their licence. Bars often have enormous parking lots. I find it odd/ uncomfortable. But outside of city centres it can be difficult to get around by public transport or taxi

Should add I don’t drink and drive in the Us and won’t travel in a car with someone who has. Am see by my relies as a bit of a worry wort Over it.