In a college town like Tempe, the words "longer bar hours" are music to most everyone's ears. On Thursday, some Arizona legislators took the first steps to make sure that those same words rang throughout the state.
Those legislators wanted longer bar hours for Flagstaff and Mesa and Phoenix and Prescott and Scottsdale and Tempe and Tucson. YEE-HAH!
Twenty-six out of 90 members of the Arizona Congress sponsored House Bill 2570, which would extend last call from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m.
After hearing the news that the Arizona Legislature is considering extending drinking privileges, Mothers Against Drunk Driving responded negatively. The Arizona chairwoman said, "We already have a high number of senseless alcohol-related deaths and injuries."
But she failed to consider the statistical data, which appears on the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Web site. The site shows that cities with later bar closing times have a lower percentage of alcohol-related deaths.
In Arizona, for instance, 43 percent of traffic fatalities in 2002 were alcohol related, but in California, where there is a 2 a.m. closing time, just 40 percent of traffic fatalities were alcohol related. Also, New York has a 4 a.m. closing time and in 2002, just 31 percent of traffic fatalities were alcohol related.
So, knowing that in some states with closing times past 1 a.m., there are fewer alcohol-related deaths, wouldn't it make sense that Arizona should follow suit and extend its hours?
We'll let the legislature tackle that one, but at Arizona State, we have some questions of our own:
- What would the extension to 2 a.m. have on the "power hour?" When one of our peers turns 21, would they have "power hours?"
- When someone turns 21, would they have to drink 42 shots?
- If the extended time could potentially pump more than $50 million into the economy, couldn't that money go to fund programs that would educate people on the effects of driving under the influence?
- What effect will this have on reverse happy hour? Will cheap drinks still start at 10 p.m., or will we have to wait another hour?
One of our peers is working to gather more than 122,000 signatures to put a 3 a.m. extension on Arizona's November ballot.
But, I probably don't need to tell MADD that Indiana has a 3 a.m. cutoff and in 2002, only 34 percent of traffic fatalities were alcohol related.
Let's raise our glasses and toast the brave men and women who saw through the special interests group's uninformed position and are actually fighting for a more responsible citizenry. To our friends in the State House, we'll see you at the bar.
