Montana's Drinking Problem Costing Taxpayers Millions Each Year

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By KFBB News Team

Story Published: Feb 9, 2010 at 6:18 PM MDT

Story Updated: Feb 9, 2010 at 6:18 PM MDT

The March issue of Men's Health Magazine has named Billings as the 3rd drunkest city in the United States. And new research shows it is not just Billings that has a drinking problem, it is the entire state. And if you think drunk driving does not effect you, think again.

New research out of the University of Montana shows that our wallets are taking a serious hit because of alcohol abuse in our state. Al Recke of the Cascade County DUI Task Force says, "The economic costs of alcohol related motor vehicle crashes in Montana last year cost the state 642 million dollars."

And when you break that number down for every single person living in Montana, that has each of us paying $671 a year to deal with drunk drivers on our roads.

Most people News Channel Five spoke with were not too happy with this statistic. Great Falls resident Brian Moreau says, "I don't think anybody should drink and drive and I don't think I should have to pay for it."

Cascade resident Skip Holmes notes, "Makes me feel poorer, that's for sure. I didn't realize it was that much money. It's too bad you can't identify exactly who's doing it and have those people pay instead of all of us through our higher insurance premiums."

Janet Grassman who just moved to Power from Idaho says, "I just moved here from Idaho in November. But that's really high numbers. It does not make me happy. It doesn't make me feel secure for children in the area, pedestrians..."

Five people are injured or killed every day in Montana in an alcohol related crash. Recke says, "A lot of people say 'Yeah.. I'm okay to drive a car." Well that's the alcohol talking. Cascade County had 613 DUI arrests last year. That's a lot. 440 of those arrests were by the Great Falls Police Department here in the city of Great Falls."

And unless people are willing to make a change, we will keep paying for their mistakes every year. Recke notes, "Drunk drivers effect all of us. And if you turn your head the other way and you say it doesn't effect you, just remember that 671 dollars."

The 2009 Montana Legislature has formed a committee that is now looking into DUI laws and determining what changes need to be made. Once their work is done, they will make recommendations to the 2011 Montana Legislature on how to improve our current DUI laws.

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Jeff said on Thursday, Feb 11 at 1:14 PM

I work in county corrections. You wouldnt beleive all the drunks brought in. Its a SERIOUS problem in Montana. And remember the dollar cost is nothing compared to the loss of a family member or freind. If you want to poison yourself drinking go ahead...just have the sense and decency not to drive after your done. If you do, I have no sympathy for you when you go to prison.

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