CNN reports the results of a recent study by the U.S. Transportation Department that shows more women are driving under the influence than ever before – up 30% in the last decade.  Men still lead in pure numbers of arrests; however, women are increasingly driving while impaired whereas the percentage of men is declining.

Whether there is a biologic basis to the male/female gender difference in reckless behavior remains unclear.  It is widely known that social factors affect health. In particular, risky behaviors have been shown to lead to biologic differences in health between men and women; however, is the opposite true?

The president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Laura Dean-Moody, has speculated as to why this trend is occurring, and has posited that women are under more pressure.  She blames the economy, stating that women are having to become the main breadwinners of their households, which implies added stress.  She also blames television!  Some TV shows have popularized drinking by women.  She says, “TV shows have made it look hip or cool to be a mom that stays home and drinks.”  For example, take a look at the clip below from The Real Housewives of Orange County, season 4.

It seems to me that this would hardly glamorize drinking; however, the real problem is not that “mom stays home and drinks,” but that she gets in the car and drives around.  What you don’t see in this clip is that the intoxicated Real Housewife does not drive home.  In fact, other members of this cast have made public service announcements encouraging people to get help for addiction problems.

So who’s to blame?  Who knows? Let’s just stick to the plain coffee, ladies and gentlemen.

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