The Duty of Liquor Purveyors

The pedestrian safety record in Santa Ana is bad enough, but when it comes to those who walk while drunk, it’s appalling. Of the seven pedestrians struck by cars and killed in the city last year, five were drunk.

Santa Ana police are trying to improve that record and reduce the number of accidents by enlisting help from bars and liquor stores.

The message to those selling alcohol is simple: Cut off sales to all who have been drinking, not just those who arrive by car.

Experts on injury prevention say while campaigns targeting drunken drivers are common, those aimed at drunken pedestrians are not.

Bartenders and liquor store clerks are adept at spotting those who have had too much to drink, making their assistance especially helpful.

Police said most of last year’s fatal pedestrian accidents occurred on busy commercial streets between sundown and sunup. In many cases, the victim tried to cross in the middle of the block while under the influence. One man had a blood-alcohol level four times the legal limit for driving.

Last year’s pedestrian fatalities in Santa Ana totaled two more than in 1998. That contrasted with the drop in pedestrian injuries from 170 in 1998 to 144 in 1999. In only 6% of the injury cases were drugs or alcohol a factor, indicating that the more liquor consumed, the more likely one was to become a fatality.

One study found that Santa Ana has the highest pedestrian death rate in Southern California. Young Latino children are especially at risk for being injured by cars, and Santa Ana has the largest Latino population of any city in the county.

One problem has been speed limits in the city. Last month Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Anaheim) proposed revising the way the state sets speed limits.

Correa’s legislation would make the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists the primary factor traffic engineers consider when determining the maximum speed for vehicles.

Correa also wants to make it more difficult for drivers to challenge speeding tickets in court. Police say drivers now sometimes successfully challenge tickets by arguing that their speed was safe for the existing conditions.

Speeding cars are a problem, and motorists can do their part by slowing down. Efforts to get a better handle on the speed limit will help.

Pedestrians so drunk they cannot take care of themselves and wander into traffic are also a problem. Bartenders and liquor store clerks can help improve the city’s pedestrian safety record by cutting off sales.