Food Stamps and Drunk Driving

The article is a transcript of a podcast titled “What Food Stamps and Drunk Driving Stats Have to Do with Each Other”. In the transcript, the host interviews a few researchers who investigated the effects of various government policies and discovered that food stamps, which are also given out due to a government policy, have a direct association with drunk driving incidents. According to the year’s research data, on the days that food stamps are given out in the various states, drunk driving incidents recorded were very low compared to other days (“NPR Cookie Consent and Choices”, n.d.).

The researchers attribute this reduction in drunk driving accidents to the celebration in homes because of the food stamps that give people something to put on their table. As a consequence of this celebration, many people are at home instead of at bars drinking, not driving, and not walking around. All these events, when connected, lead to the reduction of drunk driving incidents. Towards the conclusion of the transcript, the researchers suggest that there could be ways to tweak the policy of giving out food stamps so that drunk driving accidents can be reduced for a long time. Lastly, they also state that this connection between food stamps and drunk driving accidents is a perfect example of how one behavior can influence another (“NPR Cookie Consent and Choices”, n.d.).

I have learned this semester that human behavior is influenced by multiple factors. One of these factors is the cultural and social factor which views humans as having a “blank slate” at birth which is then shaped by their culture and society (Payne, 2018). This is clearly demonstrated in the article where the distribution of food stamps significantly reduces cases of drunk driving, producing an unintended consequence. This, according to the researchers in the article, may be a result of the change in the program’s recipient patterns. Some have a family meal which attracts most family members minimizing their chances of being at liquor stores or driving.

References

“NPR Cookie Consent And Choices”. (n.d.). Npr.Org, 2022, https://www.npr.org/2016/11/30/503825338/what-food-stamps-and-drunk-driving-stats-have-to-do-with-each-other

Payne, W. (2018). Human behavior and the social environment II. UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS LIBRARIES.

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