Drunk driving is, sadly, still a very regular occurrence in this country, but at least it isn't as socially acceptable as it used to. Let's take a moment to remember those times, if only to remind ourselves to never go back to them again.
I grew up in a college town. Like in every other American town, people drank, and like in every other American town, there was no cheap, fast, easy way for people to get from one house party to another without driving. Hence, most people I knew drove drunk at some point.
I somehow managed to keep myself from drunk driving, which led to a particularly harrowing ride home when I let my sober friend who couldn't drive stick worth a damn take me and my friends home in my parents' 5 speed Volvo wagon. Still, just about everyone else I knew with a license drove at least a few blocks under the influence.
Much as people still kill themselves, others, and get jailed because they continue to drive when they're sloshed, they aren't as obvious about it as they used to be. Take, for instance, PedalHead's story of what a road trip used to involve.
My wife's grandmother used to tell us of how back in the 50's when 5 o'clock hit they had cocktails while they were driving to FL every winter.
Oh yes, she loved a good laugh and a good cocktail and there was no reason to miss cocktail hour just because you were on a road trip. But this was the 1950's... simpler times...
Of course, driving drunk didn't end in the '50s, as ukallalen knew from serving many drivers.
In the early 80s I worked in a liquor store that had a drive-through window. And, why yes, of course, I'll be happy to get you a cup of ice!
So what other stories do you have from before we came to our senses and started frowning on drunk driving?
(UPDATE: The original headline for this post was 'What's Your Craziest Drunk Driving Story?" I had no intention of making light of drunk driving, which is a much more common cause of needless death in this country than many people would think, but the headline didn't get that across. I've changed the headline to clarify the point of discussing something that's not talked about enough.)
Photo Credit: AMC/Mad Men