Colorado Cities in Top 25 "Drunkest" in America
Colorado residents can brag about living in the nation's fittest state. Colorado was the only state with an obesity rate below 20 percent in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). However, trim Coloradans should be less proud of their alcohol consumption. Colorado's three largest population centers are among the nation's top 25 drunkest cities.
Men's Health Magazine used a range of statistics about health, car accidents and drunk-driving arrests to rank the 100 largest cities in the United States. Colorado Springs is the 16th drunkest city, followed by No. 17 Denver and No. 23 Aurora. All three earned D or D- rankings. The magazine gave an F, the only lower grade, to 13 cities, including three in Texas and four in California.
Men's Health used CDC data to track binge drinking and liver disease, which is often connected to alcoholism. Among the 100 cities, Denver had the fifth highest rate of liver disease deaths.
The rankings also factored in federal data on drunk-driving accidents and arrests, and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety information about drunk-driving penalties. According to the National Highway Transportation Administration, 32 percent of highway fatalities involve a drunk driver. The NHTSA estimates that 30 percent of all Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives.
Colorado drivers caught with blood alcohol concentration levels above .08 percent are considered drunk and can have their licenses suspended for nine months for the first violation. They might also be sentenced to up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Colorado is one of 13 states that require all DUI offenders to use interlock ignition devices, which analyze the driver's breath and disable the ignition if the driver has been drinking.
Despite these relatively strict drunk-driving laws, Colorado statistics mirror the national averages, and drunk driving may be on the rise. In 2008, Colorado tallied 173 deaths in car accidents involving drunk drivers. It was one of only seven states where drunken driving fatalities increased between 2007 and 2008.
Cases involving drunk driving are particularly detested by Colorado judges and juries. Earlier this year, $2 Million in punitive damages was awarded to a man crushed by a Jeep while working in his own driveway. The Jeep was driven by a drunk driver. Jim Chalat, attorney for the victim and the victim's wife, noted that this was not a "sympathetic jury" award, but an award from a sitting judge following a bench trial.
