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22 New Eng. L. Rev. 643 (1987-1988)
The Bumper Sticker: The Innovation That Failed

handle is hein.journals/newlr22 and id is 651 raw text is: CASE COMMENT The Bumper Sticker: The Innovation That Failed I. INTRODUCTION The automobile has enriched our culture both socially and econom- ically since its introduction.' At the same time, however, the automo- bile has brought with it many negative aspects such as injuries and fatalities which result from automobile accidents.2 Alcohol is a recog- nized contributor to the high number of automobile accidents.3 Statis- tics show that almost half of all the fatalities which occur on the national highways annually are alcohol-related.4 An alcohol-related death oc- curs every twenty minutes on the nation's highways.5 Legislatures and courts have responded to this crisis by modifying 1. H. Ross, DETERRING THE DRUNK DRIVER 1 (1981). 2. Id. See Haddon, Forward to H. Ross, DETERRING THE DRUNK DRIVER at xiii (1981) [hereinafter Haddon]. The use of motorized equipment has endangered our lives by placing a great deal of power into the hands of the individual. Id. 3. H. Ross, supra note 1, at 1. Experts recognized alcohol's contribution to traffic accidents several decades ago. Id. However, they perceived the drunken driving problem to be a result of gross intoxication. Id. The inadequacy of this perception was not recognized until technology allowed for quantitative analysis of the presence of alcohol in the blood and research found that difficult tasks were affected even at low blood alcohol concentrations. Id. at 1-2. 4. B. LANDSTREET, THE DRINKING DRIVER: THE ALCOHOL SAFETY ACTION PROGRAMS 3 (1977). See STATISTICIAN'S OFFICE, REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC FATAL ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE (1979-1985) [hereinafter STATISTICIAN'S OFFICE]. Statistics show that 263 of the 689 fatal accidents in Massachusetts in 1981 were alcohol-related. Id. In 1982, 188 of the 612 fatal accidents in Massachusetts were alcohol-related. Id. In 1983, the proportion of alcohol-related accidents to fatal accidents was 201 to 597. Id. In 1984, the proportion was 222 out of 607. Id. In 1985, 203 of the 687 fatal accidents in Massachusetts were alcohol-related. Id. The statistics also show that: 290 deaths resulted from the 263 alcohol-related accidents in Massachusetts in 1981, 213 deaths resulted from the 188 alcohol- related accidents in Massachusetts in 1982, 225 deaths resulted from 201 alcohol- related accidents in Massachusetts in 1983, 248 deaths resulted from the 222 alcohol-related accidents in 1984, and 222 deaths resulted from the 203 alcohol- related accidents in Massachusetts in 1985. Id. 5. B. LANDSTREET, Supra note 4, at 4.

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