© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Central Standard

Drinking And Driving: Culture, Infrastructure And The Law

Arriva436
/
Creative Commons

In recent years, we've heard a lot more about texting and driving than we have about drinking and driving. But drunk driving is still prevalent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol-impaired car crashes account for nearly one-third of all traffic-related deaths in the United States. 

As spring revelry leads to late nights out, Central Standard asks whether Kansas Citians are making plans to get home safely, and if not, why not?

We explored several cultural factors contributing to drinking and driving. The discussion also investigated the role of infrastructure and the law in shaping and responding to this behavior. A call to listeners elicited input from people who had lived in Germany, Wisconsin and elsewhere, offering a sense of how Kansas City's attitude holds up by comparison. 

 

Guests:

Tags
People don't make cameos in news stories; the human story is the story, with characters affected by news events, not defined by them. As a columnist and podcaster, I want to acknowledge what it feels like to live through this time in Kansas City, one vantage point at a time. Together, these weekly vignettes form a collage of daily life in Kansas City as it changes in some ways, and stubbornly resists change in others. You can follow me on Twitter @GinaKCUR or email me at gina@kcur.org.
Matthew Long-Middleton has been a talk-show producer, community producer, Media Training Manager and now the Community Engagement Manager at KCUR. You can reach him at Matthew@kcur.org, or on Twitter @MLMIndustries.