Drinking Laws Save Stop Lights

WALTHAM, Mass. —  Motorists just aren’t knocking down traffic lights like they used to, perhaps because of a tougher stance on drunk driving.

A firm that replaces knocked-down traffic lights says that the drunk-driving laws have reduced its business by half because “the knockdowns are definitely down.”

“On Monday morning we’d come in after the weekend and there would be all sorts of knockdowns--and now there’s nothing,” said Robert Dawe, foreman of Tri-State Signal Inc.

Down by 50%

“The knockdowns are definitely down. It’s down about 50%.”

“Most of the knockdowns before were drunk drivers,” said Dawe, whose company repairs traffic lights in the Boston suburbs. “Now most of them are during the day, trucks cutting the corners too tight.”

The firm charges $800 to $1,500 to replace a traffic light and post. Dawe said most knocked-down lights cannot be repaired.

“Usually they smash right up,” he said. “And if it’s near Harvard Square, the students take them before we can get to them.”

Dawe said that it took some time to discover his business had dropped after Massachusetts enacted tough new drunk-driving laws in 1983.

“The foundry called and wanted to know where our orders were,” he said. “I noticed then they were definitely down. There’s just not that many getting knocked down anymore.”