Back in 2004, a group of students at the University of California Santa Barbara started something called “Floatopia” as a way to party and drink on California beaches. The amount of people that attend Floatopia in Santa Barbara has risen every year (2009 had 12,000 attendees).
Students and other citizens in San Diego who are not allowed to drink at the beach due to a November 2008 ban have used this idea as a loophole in the current law. Since the ban doesn’t apply to the water, thousands of people still drink near the beach, just not ON the beach. No matter what, it makes drunk driving car accidents possible for everyone trying to enjoy the sun and surf.
Our car accident attorneys in San Diego know that the alcohol ban was done in an effort to lower the amount of problems at San Diego beaches. A riot that broke out involving hundreds of people during Labor Day Weekend 2008 prompted the ban later that year.
Not only did the ban lower the amount of citations for “drunk in public”, but fewer drunk driving tickets were issued as well. Beaches in San Diego are great places to have fun, but it is important to be careful however you’re doing it. Laws are in place for a reason, and if it prevents car accidents caused by drunk driving, then how can it be seen as a bad thing?
Floatopia, which is held in San Diego near Fanuel Street Park in Pacific Beach, has gained popularity, and one page on Facebook displays that over 8,800 people are planning to attend. The event has become so popular, in fact, there are now corporate sponsors.
A spokesman for Councilman Kevin Faulconer, who spearheaded the alcohol ban, said the event is something Faulconer is keeping on his radar, but it isn’t like the widespread problem that was corrected by the ban. The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) and Lifeguard Service already plan to increase staff around Fanuel Street Park to deal with any public drunkenness and provide extra safety for the public.
Our car accident lawyers in San Diego believe that laws weren’t meant to be broken. Opponents of the ban have said that the ban takes away their rights, but the ban was voted on and passed. Apparently, more people thought drinking on the beach wasn’t a serious sacrifice. Events like Floatopia hopefully won’t create too many problems, and the police and lifeguards should be ready to handle any situations.
Call us now at 1-800-655-6585 or click here for a FREE CONSULTATION with an experienced San Diego car accident attorney and find out how we can help you. We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case. No fee if no recovery.
About Michael PinesMichael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who specializes in car accident injury. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes on how insurance companies work and how they decided to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael's inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents.
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Tags: alcohol ban, Floatopia, pacific beach
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