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Wisconsin’s drinking culture has been under close scrutiny since a government report was released in April ranking the state worst in the country for drunk driving but not everybody is convinced the report is accurate.

Rob Swearingen, president of the Tavern League of Wisconsin, questions the methodology and motivations for the report and affirms that the tavern culture in Wisconsin is a healthy one.

“As I understand it, some parts of that survey were a little bit flawed. It’s legal to have a drink and drive and some of the people who responded in that survey may not have driven illegally,” said Swearingen. “Maybe (the survey) indicates that people in Wisconsin are a little bit more honest.”

The government report on drunk driving relied heavily on information from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a scientific random sample of households which asked 127,283 adults over the years 2004, 2005, and 2006 if they had driven under the influence of alcohol in the past year. Swearingen believes the report did not provide conclusive evidence that Wisconsin drunk driving laws are failing.

“This is not the gloom and doom scenario that the people who issued the report want people to think. Wisconsin’s drunk driving laws are working,” said Swearingen.

Swearingen, who owns the Al-Gen Restaurant in Rhinelander, indicated that the real problem in Wisconsin is the number of multiple drunk driving offenders.

“We would support stiffer penalties for multiple offenders and offenders with high BAC levels. But this kind of survey scares the social drinker away from our taverns. A guy might want to have a beer with his fish fry,” said Swearingen.

In the aftermath of the report’s release —which showed the highest rates of drunk driving in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Wisconsin—the discussion focused on whether cultural and ethnic factors can be blamed for the results. Swearingen acknowledged that taverns and beer are a big part of Wisconsin culture, but he doesn’t think they are to blame for the state’s drunk driving record.

“Wisconsin has a long history of taverns. A beer, a bratwurst, and a Brewers game or a Packers game. That’s a good thing,” he said. “The majority of people in Wisconsin celebrate responsibly. One of our slogans is that we are responsible servers. We always say drink responsibly.”

Swearingen pointed to the SafeRide program as proof that the Tavern League puts its money where its mouth is. The SafeRide program uses a $5 surcharge on DWI arrests to subsidize tavern leagues that offer taxis to customers who are too intoxicated to drive their own cars home. Under the guidelines of the program the state contributes up to $10,000 annually to tavern leagues willing to match the amount through local fund-raising.

Nicolet College professor Tony Albright, a former AODA counselor, recently told the Daily News he believes state legislators are not doing enough to curb drunk driving in the state. Swearingen believes the legislators are doing their part, but he said tougher laws may be introduced for multiple offenders when the legislature resumes its work.

Some 5,000 bars, restaurants, and taverns are members of the Tavern League of Wisconsin. The Oneida County Tavern League has over 70 members.

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Comments »

Charmaine wrote on May 14, 2008 9:24 PM:

" I think the drunk driving laws should be tougher yet in Wisconsin. I see the same names of people for DUI reported in the paper for the third offense or more. Why do they keep getting their drivers license back only to get another DWI??? After so many offenses, my opinion is that they should lose their license for life to keep them off the roads. "

bob wrote on May 14, 2008 4:18 PM:

" I have lived in New Mexico for three years now and they claim to have the most drunk drivers than any other state. "

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