A survey in the September issue of Men’s Health Magazine has ranked Madison the 11th most dangerously drunk city in the nation.
The list, which includes the 101 largest cities in the United States, used Drinking While Intoxicated arrest rates, alcohol-related traffic deaths and mortality rates for alcohol-related liver disease to rank which cities were the most “dangerously drunk.”
With a higher score representing a more inebriated city, Madison was ranked more drunk than larger cities such as Minneapolis (13), Chicago (42) and New York (95).
Lt. Stephanie Bradley Wilson of the Madison Police Department said there were 1,352 drunken driving arrests in 2003, including 582 in which the driver was beyond the legal alcohol limit and 770 in which the driver was under the influence. Ten of the 14 fatal traffic accidents in 2003 were alcohol related, Bradley Wilson said.
According to the Madison Department of Transportation 2003 crash report, 23 of the 97 crashes involving pedestrians were related to alcohol. Of the 97 reported bicycle crashes, a quarter involved people between the ages of 20 and 24, and two cases noted the biker as drinking.
The report also noted four moped crashes involving alcohol in 2003.
Alcohol-related traffic accidents are not only a local issue, as Wisconsin had 8,727 crashes involving the substance in 2003.
While students contribute to the number of alcohol-related crashes in Madison, Bradley Wilson said other community members are factors as well.
“We know that not all the patrons of downtown bars are pedestrians,” Bradley Wilson said.
Bradley Wilson also said some of the larger alcohol-related problems in the city stem from UW sporting events.
“We know that students and non-students come into the downtown area, especially on sporting event days, and drink at the various alcohol outlets,” she stated.
Andrew Brown, a UW senior and a bouncer at The Pub on State Street, said he sees many students walking or taking cabs home from the bars.
“I see a lot of people calling cabs at the end of the night or helping their friends get home safely,” Brown said. “But I know there are many other people that do not use their best judgment come bar time.”
Dr. Scott Spear, director of clinical services at University Health Services, said binge drinking has been and continues to be a health concern on campus, both from liver diseases and other short-term affects of alcohol.
“When we define health risks broadly, binge-drinking is the biggest problem on this campus,” Spear said. “It affects individual health and community health, and it has negative impacts on the learning community.”
Spear said UHS sees alcohol-related complaints ranging from sprained ankles and broken bones to requests for emergency contraception and STD tests. More severe risks involve trips to the emergency room, he said.
“We have seen college students with liver diseases as the result of the amount of drinking they do while they are in college,” Spear said.
Spear said an equal number of men and women request STD tests at UHS after alcohol-related partnering decisions.
Bradley Wilson said a number of programs are available to limit the number of alcohol-related crashes and altercations, but identified education as the most effective tool.
