Too Many People Driving With Open Beer Cans

The problem of drunk driving appears to be one that many people are still unaware of. As a parking lot attendant at a major San Diego attraction, I’ve been noticing a large number of visitors driving up to our parking booth who have an open beer or some other alcoholic drink in their laps.

The other weekend there was a concert performance that turned out to be very popular. In one hour, I had more than 400 cars come through the parking lane in which I was working. In just this one hour, I noticed more than 25 people with open alcoholic containers by their sides. And these were only the people who I noticed. Many others probably had their beer cans out of my view.

My co-workers also commented how many open beer cans and other alcoholic beverages they noticed while collecting parking fees. To me, the whole situation is alarming. There’s little I can do as a parking lot attendant to discourage these people from drinking while they drive. There is already an open-container law in California, which says a person will be ticketed if an open alcoholic container is found in his car.

I don’t think enough people are aware of this law. All of the drinking drivers I noticed were extremely casual about the alcohol they were holding. Many even held them up as they searched for their dollars. Either police aren’t enforcing the open-container law well enough or people simply aren’t aware that it’s illegal to have any open alcohol in your car while driving.

The problem of drivers who drink while in their cars is only part of the whole drunk driving dilemma. I have no way of knowing how many of the drivers coming into the parking lot had something to drink before they left home, or how many would become intoxicated at the concert then leave directly for home. The whole problem seems overwhelming, and no easy solutions come to mind.

However, two steps could make a significant impact: (1) better enforcement by police of the open-container law, and (2) more public awareness of this and other drunk driving laws.

STEVE GROSS

San Diego