[jmclnx]

As the article says, very simple, Drunk Driving Laws. In the "old days (tm)", anything went in the US, back then it was mayhem on the roads, with hardly no penalties (if you were white).

The city where I grew up (~90,000 people), there were many night clubs and bars, almost one on every corner. People from outside the city would drive there for their night life.

Then the Laws were enforced and changed with very severe penalties. Now, just about all clubs and bars are gone. But, cafes seem to have become a thing in the center of town.

FWIW, I do not miss the "bar" days at all.

[nunez]

This isn't entirely true.

I'm reading a book called "Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City" by Peter Norton where he talks about this a little bit.

This book mostly focuses on the advent of the automobile and the impact it had on American cities, whose streets where mostly for horses and the people before this development.

Reckless drivers who killed kids and young adults was a huge problem even then. Playing on the street was normal back then; cars hurtling through was unexpected, and kids weren't prepared to dodge them. More people died from car accidents than soldiers lost in World War I four years after the Model T entered production.

Many city dwellers called for the lynching of reckless drivers (who were mostly white, as cars were very expensive back then). "Safety Weeks" where entire cities built memorials for all of the kids that died at the hand of the automobile were very popular for a few years. Before streetlights were common, cities used "silent cornermen" to enforce traffic flow. These primitive devices were basically huge, heavy posts that would completely obliterate people's cars if they weren't paying attention.

This isn't to say that DWI isn't under enforced. I read a story the other day in /r/BatonRouge of a driver who killed a family while they were driving drunk. This was their fifth DUI offense. They were sentenced 20 years in state person. They only served 18 months. Didn't even lose their license.

[robrtsql]

Where can I find information about “silent cornermen”? I can’t picture them, and the only relevant result when googling the phrase is your post.

[jerlam]

They're more popularly now known as bollards. Not too popular in the United States, because anything to reduce or restrict the speed of cars is frowned upon, over the safety of other road users or property.

As pedestrian deaths continue to rise, bollards are finding more supporters:

https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2021/12/02/63285509/seattle...

[lariattra]

I would think the lack of boredom is still a bigger variable.

I have not felt true boredom since about 1993. Not at least in the way it felt then when there was literally nothing to do.

When the choice was to stare at the wall or go out and find something interesting to do on a Saturday night, the choice was made for you. Many other people were in the same situation. Now the choice is made for everyone but in the opposite way to more or less just stay home.