Get Answers: Could DWI ad money be better spent?

you drink, you drive, you lose. it's a slogan you've heard and seen all across the state for seve...  More »

you drink, you drive, you lose. it's a slogan you've heard and seen all across the state for several years. it turns out it's a costly message. this year alone the state will spend more than 3-million dollars on media advertising for dwi campaigns. some of our viewers want to know-- is that a smart way to spend money when the state is having such gigantic financial problems? kayla anderson went straight to the state today for answers. she's live downtown with tonights top story. on a friday night like this-- u can bet-- a lot of people will be out drinking. while it's inevitable some will get behind the wheel ... the state says anti-dwi commercials help hammer in the point to many drivers. "daddy.. ahh... sirents.. screech... to sound of car door shutting" mark slimp-- with the new mexico department of transportation-- says commercials like this-- or even this one--- with actor eric estrada-- are crucial to getting the word out about the risks of driving drunk. slimp says-- it's clear-- new mexicans are listening. "the number of arrests have gone up, e number of deaths from alcohol related accidents are decreasing, and that's all because of this ongoing, sustained effort." this year the state will spend more than 5- point-2 million in actual enforcement ... and about 3-point-5 million on media. about 95-percent of the money is federally funded. and it varies year by year, depending on how much is available. "there's always an opportunity to do a better job of informing the public of the dangers of drinking and driving and of course the penalties, which are severe as well." so, what do you think? is it working? "coming along i-40, about every 20 miles i see a dwi call in sign where you call in and report a drunk driver." "in new mexico, there's way, way more dui's and obviously, with all the signs, the notes, everything that's going on, it's not enough, because it's still going on." "i'd like for them to invest more money on that and perhaps, you know, be more aggressive on terms of punishing dwi and dui aggressors." so, could the state use all that money somewhere else? the answer is no. all the money is dedicated to anti- dwi efforts exclusively... so there's no opportunity to send it to any other program or activity.  « Less