West Valley taking aim at drunken driving, teen drinking

WEST VALLEY CITY — More than half of residents in this diverse suburb think alcohol is a problem in their community and almost a quarter think underage drinking is a huge problem, according to survey results presented Wednesday night at Granger High School.

On the other hand, another quarter of residents thought that alcohol was not a problem and neither was underage drinking.

A generation gap appeared, too. About 80 percent of teens reported during a school survey that they could get alcohol at a party while 50 percent of other residents thought that was a likelihood.

West Valley is partnering with the University of Utah to establish a citizens coalition to address the problems of alcohol-related car crashes in the city. On Wednesday, the public was invited to see survey results and join committees aimed at solving the problem.

For Daisy and Weyland Bangerter, the problem of excessive drinking and underage drinking is one that plagues their own neighborhood.

The couple recalled a time when police from all over the Salt Lake Valley were called to a raucous house party around the corner. The Bangerters never learned what had happened but want to make West Valley safer for everyone, they said.

The West Valley residents don't drink themselves, they said, but attended a break-out session Wednesday about stopping crashes caused by 21-35 year old males. That demographic is responsible for the vast majority of Utah crashes involving alcohol and DUI arrests, according to the university's presentation by project evaluator Rod Hopkins.

"We live in such a permissive society that we don't know how to solve our own problems," said Weyland Bangerter, calling drinking a "black-and-white" issue. "If you make someone uncomfortable enough they're not going to do it. We need to make it as ugly as possible."

Others, though, did not want to make penalties more harsh.

Ernest Garcia lives in West Valley and holds a commercial trucking license. There should be more bars and pubs in neighborhoods, within walking distance, he said. That way, people aren't forced to drive in order to have a drink or two.

Yet another participant recommended a free cab service for drinkers, funded by taxpayers. Such an approach would save money overall compared to the cost of alcohol-related crashes, he said.