… everyone – but everyone – hates the idea of changing local laws to close the bars at midnight.
In an editorial, Southern Miss students make the argument:
There is no reason to believe that closing bars at midnight instead of 2 a.m. will curtail violence. In fact, the effect could be worse for public safety.
The extra two hours gives people who may consume alcoholic beverages earlier in the night time to sober up. But many people who drink will not stop at 10 p.m.; for many, that’s the time they start. Closing at midnight will only mean that there will be more impaired drivers on the road at a time when traffic is already heavier.
UD isn’t sure why the students don’t take the obvious next step: Why close the bars of Hattiesburg at all? If it’s safer for them to stay open until 2, it’s even safer for them never to close.