What's the deal with Women Drinking and Driving?

August 27, 2009

Is binge drinking for women out of control? How much is too much and when do you know if you have a problem?

In light of last month's tragedy about Long Island mom Diane Schuler, whose wrong-way drunk driving on a New York highway took the lives of eight people, the discussion about women and alcohol has become front-page news. It's even caught the eye of the federal government, which has stated it will be focusing on women as part of its upcoming annual drunk driving campaign.

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At TheFrisky.com, a website intended for women between 18 and 34, an anonymous staff writer has posted a compelling first-person account of her own drinking, and that of her friends, and expresses her concerns about where to draw the line. Supported with eye-opening statistics about women and alcohol, her story has certainly acquired a lively collection of comments shared by other women about their own drinking habits.

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According to a recent study published at ABCNews, "the number of women arrested for driving under the influence or alcohol or drugs was 28.8 percent higher in 2007 than it was in 1998, while the number of men arrested was 7.5 percent lower." The same article also says "In California, based on the same FBI figures, women accounted for 18.8 percent of all DUI arrests in 2007, up from 13.5 percent in 1998, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety." Those are scary statistics, especially when working mothers -- besides the pressures of challenging careers -- also carry all the burden of running a home and caring for children.

My editor, Brandy Schaffels, recently told me "I still remember how surprised I was to be pulled over one evening on my way home from the grocery store with my young son in the back seat. I had reached behind me to hand him an apple, l and the next thing I knew there were flashing lights in my rear-view mirror. I was even more shocked when the policeman told me he suspected I was driving under the influence! WHAT?! NOT ME, and NEVER WITH MY KIDS IN THE CAR! Darn that pesky rollaway apple! Ironically, I'm far more likely to drive while tired, which is just as dangerous as driving under drunk."

And of course, my motivations are affected because I was hit by a drunk driver while returning with my own children from a family Thanksgiving celebration. Three of her five child passengers were killed instantly including her only daughter and all three of her sister's children. She survived along with a two-year-old in a car seat and one other young boy cousin.

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But everyone's standards are different: Is it okay to come home drunk one night a week? Or two? Or more? What about being drunk at home? And why are the statistics for women dramatically outpacing those of men? "There's the impression out there that drunk driving is strictly a male issue, and it is certainly not the case," said Rae Tyson, spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Ladies, we'd love to have you weigh in on this very volatile subject. How much do you drink at home? Would you (or have you) ever drive(n) drunk, with or without your children in the car? Please share your stories and opinions here.

Photos by imelenchon at morguefile, imelenchon at morguefile, and Alvimann at morguefile.