Everyone knows that the meanest two words you can direct at somebody are “Last call.” Such a buzz kill. Literally. I have a dream: that one day, my four little vodka sodas will turn into five vodka sodas, six, seven, because the bars never close, and my low tolerance will be made less embarrassing, because I’ll have adequate time to catch up to my peers. Who hasn’t envisioned it? Bars that never close. It would be mayhem — beautiful, beautiful mayhem. Of course, bars need to have reasonable closing times, for safety reasons, and so that bartenders can use their jobs to get themselves laid before the pursued realizes “no collar worker” is even worse than “blue collar worker.” Amirite?
As it turns out, that’s actually not true. No-collar Steve is the only thing that’s holding us back, as a recent study shows that when bars are open late, people are actually less likely to engage in dangerous activities. With reformed liquor licensing laws in Scotland, England and Wales, allowing bars to stay open later, police reported that car crashes went down by 13%, resulting in 1,6483 fewer deaths per month, according to research. This was especially true in young drivers, ages 18-25.
The belief is that with bars open later, drinkers’ need to “beat the clock,” pounding shots before closing time, decreases. As for those who do still drive under the influence, they are surrounded by fewer cars on the road at those late hours, which also leads to fewer accidents. I move that all bars stay open, like, forever. Safety first, you guys.
[via Daily Mail]
Image via Rice Law MD