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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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Female DUIs Surge in Calif.

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(Newser) – Men aren't the only ones drinking and driving in California these days, the Sacramento Bee reports. Female DUI arrests and alcohol-related crashes are on the rise, leaving a trail of fatal car wrecks, prison sentences, and women undergoing treatment programs. "Males are still the major knuckleheads, but females for some reason seem to be trying to catch them," says a state traffic official.

Analysts are debating why the young female share of state DUI arrests spiked from 16.8% to 24.3% between 1998 and 2007—the greatest boost for any group. Some point to stricter law enforcement. Others blame the rise of female binge drinking, fruit-flavored booze drinks for women, and the influence of DUI starlets like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. "Now it's cool to get a DUI," says a CHP spokesman, "and that's scary." 

In this image made from video, actress Lindsay Lohan drinks champagne on New Years Eve in Capri, Italy, Monday, Dec. 31, 2007.
In this image made from video, actress Lindsay Lohan drinks champagne on New Years Eve in Capri, Italy, Monday, Dec. 31, 2007.   (AP Photo/AP Television News)
Officer Kevin Millan from the City of Miami Beach police department conducts a field sobriety test at a DUI traffic checkpoint December 15, 2006 in Miami, Florida.
Officer Kevin Millan from the City of Miami Beach police department conducts a field sobriety test at a DUI traffic checkpoint December 15, 2006 in Miami, Florida.   (Getty Images)
Officer Kevin Millan from the City of Miami Beach police department conducts a field sobriety test at a DUI traffic checkpoint December 15, 2006 in Miami, Florida.
Officer Kevin Millan from the City of Miami Beach police department conducts a field sobriety test at a DUI traffic checkpoint December 15, 2006 in Miami, Florida.   (Getty Images)
Paris Hilton arrives at a party celebrating the new mobile service Helio and benefiting Heal the Bay in West Hollywood, Calif. in this, Aug. 8, 2007, file photo.
Paris Hilton arrives at a party celebrating the new mobile service Helio and benefiting Heal the Bay in West Hollywood, Calif. in this, Aug. 8, 2007, file photo.   (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, file)
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11 comments
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UrUndertaker
Jul 12, 09 7:24 PM CDT
life goes on Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
Ioptout
Jul 12, 09 8:51 PM CDT
obla di obla da Undertaker. I think cops are getting dumber/pervier and woman are driving worse period. I once had a peculiar conversation with two idiots sitting at a monument and one of them had some tobacco-dip on his nose. At the end of the conversation, I asked them what they wanted to do after High School, both said, "cops". --- When I was with my hottest girlfriend I noticed being pulled over for a LONG time, compared to other girlfriends. I think more cops are pulling over chick cars, maybe to get a little up-skirt action... I called a cop when my dad blasted me with a bat in the face and he said, (in the back of a police car) "You probably were being smart, my dad hit me and look at me now" (overweight marine build). ---My advice is if you're a chick buy a PT Cruiser, they won't pull you over. My girlfriend now is the worse driver (late 20's ), never gets pulled over.
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-3
bman1080
Jul 12, 09 7:28 PM CDT
Awesome! More evidence that alcohol is worse than a lot of other drugs! Reply
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+4
Deebles
Jul 12, 09 7:30 PM CDT
No. The biggest problem is women's failure to understand that they are not biologically the same as men. Women need to learn that they are ruled by hormones, which put them on unequal footing when faced with tests based on male alcohol consumption. A woman can drink three drinks on the third day of her cycle and be fine. Drink three drinks on the thirteenth day of your cycle and you'll be legally over the limit. You might feel the same but your body has not metabolized those drinks the way it would have a couple of weeks ago. Women rue their bodies at their own peril. The good thing is that you will never fly to Argentina to get laid. Better news is hit menopause and you can have four drinks. It's nature's reward for stealing your estrogen--you're biologically closer to man. Course, now you have the same heart attack risk, but you can drink. Reply
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+2
waywardangel
Jul 12, 09 9:17 PM CDT
Women are facing the same pressures of men in society, maybe even more so. I am shocked this article was surprising. The fact that men seem to blame it on being female, is true, and simply scary. Reply
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