Crosses on Montana’s Capitol lawn demonstrate DUI woes

HELENA – The 584 white wooden crosses dotting the front lawn of the state Capitol on Tuesday were a grim reminder of Montana’s drunken driving problem.

Each represented a victim of alcohol-related crashes in the state since 2000, reinforcing Montana’s notoriety as the state with the highest rate of alcohol-related traffic deaths in the nation and its long cultural tradition of drinking and driving.

“It’s a very sad and horrible statistic that we have to bear and live with, but hopefully that will change,” Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger said.

Changes that could cut down on alcohol-related deaths are coming, but in the meantime Bohlinger joined state and federal officials on the Capitol steps to launch a crackdown on drunken driving through the Labor Day weekend. Additional officers will be patrolling the state’s 70,000 miles of public roads during that time, said Col. Paul Grimstad, chief of the Montana Highway Patrol. Spot safety checks also are planned.

Labor Day weekend is the last holiday before Montana’s new open container ban takes effect Oct. 1 and is traditionally a time when more impaired drivers are on the roads.

Passed by state lawmakers this spring after years of failed attempts, the ban on open containers of alcohol in vehicles made Montana one of the last states to outlaw drinking while driving. Officials hope it will cut drunken driving numbers and help change the attitude held by many residents that drinking and driving is OK, said Jim Lynch, director of the state Department of Transportation.

“We can’t continue to kill people on our highways,” he said.

A new law beefing up Montana Highway Patrol numbers over next four years also is expected to make a difference by putting more troopers out on the roads, Grimstad said.