HELENA, Mont. — Montana has long had a reputation as a place where you could crack open a beer while driving down the interstate just about as fast as you liked.
Until 2005, when the state came under heavy duress from the federal government, it was legal to drink and drive in many places. And a few years before that there wasn’t even a speed limit on major highways and in rural areas.
That is what led them to take up drinking.
But spurred by the high- profile death of a highway patrolman at the hands of an intoxicated driver, Montana’s Old West drinking and driving culture is retreating. Judges are rejecting lenient plea deals and law enforcement leaders are exploring different ways of keeping track of repeat offenders.
Even the Legislature, which just a few years ago struggled mightily to ban open containers of booze in cars, is beginning to promise tough new laws. This comes after years of virtually ignoring the state’s ranking at or near the top of per capita drunken driving deaths.
Montana has long been tolerant of drivers who drink.
Some small town bars still offer cocktails in a to-go cup.
Why not?
They have drive-through liquor stores in other places.
Repeat DUI offenders are shuttled in and out of the court system before they have a chance to sober up.
Like any state.
Montana has many isolated roads and almost no public transportation. A saloon-era attitude toward drinking, coupled with Montana’s libertarian streak that eschews tough law enforcement or even letting local police set up roadside “safety checks,’’ produce a deadly mix, specialists say.
I wish the TV would stop promoting booze so much then.
“There is significant antigovernment sentiment which spills over into impaired driving enforcement,’’ said Rebecca Sturdevant of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. “Rather than praising public safety officers for keeping our highways safe, I have heard legislators berate them for bothering drivers.’’
You know, they will BLAME YOU for JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING!
Also see: Driving Drunk in the Big Dig
Looks like you could use some sobering up, Massachusetts.
But almost no one doubts that the state is coming to grips with its drinking and driving issues....
Headlines in the state have since been full of repeat offenders being charged with a ninth or even 10th DUI, keeping editorial pages abuzz with demands for a solution....
Last call!
Related: High tech devices could help combat drunken driving
