Is drink driving really such a big problem in America?

So many celebrities seem to be being arrested for it, it even got featured in the OC!

I read that alcohol consumption in the UK is nearly twice that of the US but they have 50% fewer alcohol related traffic fatalities.

What do you think it is that causes this?

I have only known one man who drank and drive and we called the police on him right away.

The numbers are percentages so they are all relative, it means population plays no part.

Drink driving is disgusting. I do not live within walking distance of where I drink, I get cabs, trains, buses. I never ever drive, or let my friends drive, or go anywhere near a car a drunk person is driving and neither do my friends. I do not believe it is just a numbers game, and like I said, percentages are relative.

I can't speak to comparisons with England and the US - I've never been to England, but the police in the US are far more zealous about catching drunk drivers - as well they should be.

People who talk about the US being a much larger place and that we "have to drive" to go drinking are stupid. Plain and simple. When I go out to the bars and I know I'm gonna get smashed, I either (a) leave my car at the bar and take a cab home, or (b) pre-designate someone who will have 1 or 2 drinks over the night who can drive my car home.

Yes, it is such a big problem. However, keep a few things in mind. In the UK - public transportation is FREQUENTLY used by everyone. Also, it's a MUCH smaller country and people live close enough to walk. In the US there is very little in the way of public transportation. Almost everyone old enough to drive has their own car. Public transportation is looked down on over here because it's dirty & isn't safe to ride in most places. We're MUCH more spread out than the UK, and travel a lot father just to drink alcohol. Perfect example: Tonight I went to party for the law students at the law school I attend. It is 6 miles from where I live, and is about a mile from the law school & any dormitories on campus (law students have to get their own apartments & can't live in the dorms here). In the UK, 6 miles for a party is a long way to go. Over here, I frequently go 25 and 30 miles a day to do daily business, like grocery shopping.

How many have you had already? Drink Driving doesn't count if you are straight.

Amsterdam has cafe's that you can smoke pot and hash in and their country has fewer crimes and drug problems.

Yes. People in America drive more for various reasons. We are much larger of a place than the UK.

38 Percent of highway accidents involve a Drunk Driver

Yes it is a real problem. The fact of the matter is it's dangerous and strongly enforced - which is why you see so many celebrities getting arrested. I am guilty of being caught with a DWI and went through the whole thing.

Do answer your question about the UK having few alcohol related fatalities really depends on the numbers are manipulated. First of all, if you live in an urban area you don't need a car, simply take cab or mass transit after hitting a pub/bar. In the US, cars are much more abundant - it's a "car culture". If you live in a normal American town, you need a car to get to the bar, many times that bar is 10 miles away.

Third and possibly most importantly - in the US, DWI is strongly enforced - and I can tell your from personal experience - it's not in the UK/Ireland. I've heard the stories about people getting DWI's there but when I was pulled over and had booze on my breath - they let me go. Lastly, the reporting may different - in the US I know they would report a car accident death as alcohol related even if someone had 1 or 2 drinks - does that same criteria in the UK.

It puts innocent people at risk as well as the driver.

I used to drink and drive every night before I quit drinking. I was lucky, nothing ever happened, not even a DUI. But one night, while I was drunk driving, I hit and killed a stray dog that was crossing the street. It could just as easily been a person or a child.The person would have been dead, but all I could think of was myself. It would have been a mandatory 15 years in prison for vehicular manslaughter.

Now I don't worry about that happening anymore. Because I don't drink anymore. If I accidentally killed someone while driving, I most likely wouldn't have to serve any jail time because I don't drink anymore.

It is a huge problem in America.

Unlike the UK, most everyone has to drive to drink at a bar or a friends house. So there are a lot of impaired folks on the highways, especially at night.

Cell phones are the equivalent of drinking and driving in terms of accidents. I see that problem all the time.

So if you are drunk, just hold a cell phone to your head while driving and everyone will think you are normal.

It is...especially to victims families..the reality is that there are different versions of the justice system, those who have $, power, fame and those that don't..Also you can't compare the UK to the US in transportation..the UK has more transit stations (buses/trains) while in the US-we like to drive everywhere..If it wasn't such a problem why would you call to have the man arrested for DUI.

50million English vs 300million Americans which is why we have more drunk drivers, just a numbers game

How can you say populations don't factor into it? It's mathematically impossible that they don't, percentages, sum totals, factors and the like. If 10 million English are caught doing drinking and driving and 20 million Americans are that is 50% less, but it would represent 25% of English in total vs a little under 7% of Americans. So that would represent a greater instance in England than American. But you failed to identify your %s so how can you say its more than a numbers game? You need to lay out your facts in a more concise manner.