Liquor sellers run scary, but questionable, ads in ballot fight

The state's liquor wholesalers and package stores yesterday launched a TV campaign suggesting that drunken-driving fatalities could double if a ballot question that would allow more Massachusetts food stores to sell wine succeeds.

The ad compares drunken-driving fatalities in Massachusetts to drunken-driving fatalities in the 34 states ``where wine is sold in convenience stores" and concludes that the much lower fatality rate here is because of the prohibition on wine sales in food stores.

There is little evidence indicating the prohibition is a major or even a minor reason why the drunken-driving fatality rate is low in Massachusetts.

Other states that prohibit wine sales in most food stores haven't had a similar experience. Arkansas, Tennessee, North Dakota, and Oklahoma all prohibit wine sales in food stores but each of them has a drunken-driving fatality rate that is much higher than the average for the 34 states that do allow wine sales.

The ad also fails to mention that beer and sometimes hard liquor are sold in food stores in the 34 states. Beer and hard liquor are abused by drivers far more than wine, according to Barbara Harrington , state executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

MADD, which is taking no position on the ballot question, said Massachusetts has a relatively low drunken-driving fatality rate because drivers here tend to drive slower than drivers in other states and receive better medical care when they are involved in crashes.

Some research also indicates that states with residents who are better educated and better off financially tend to have fewer drivers who drink and drive.

Harrington said MADD doesn't take positions on alcohol licensing issues, but has not been able to find any statistical correlation between wine sales in food stores and drunken-driving fatalities.

``There isn't any data on what happens when you put wine in food stores because that's not the standard course," Harrington said. ``The standard course is wine and beer."

Justine Griffin , a spokeswoman for the wholesalers and package stores, said food stores will immediately push for the ability to sell beer if they win the right to sell wine -- a contention the food stores dispute.

Griffin predicted the addition of many more wine-at-food-store licenses will have dire consequences.

``You change the system, and you're going to look like those other states and have similar consequences," she said.

The group has won the backing of more than 25 police chiefs and the State Police Association of Massachusetts. John Coflesky , president of the State Police union, said enforcement is working well with the existing licensing system.

``It's truly just a public safety issue with us," he said. ``I don't think we need any more licenses."

The ad, featuring photos of police responding to horrific traffic crashes, highlights what it calls a ``scary" statistic, the fact that the drunken-driving fatality rate in states where wine is sold in food stores is more than twice what it is in Massachusetts.

According to the ad, the rate in Massachusetts is 2.34 deaths per 100,000 drivers, compared to 5.31 deaths per 100,000 drivers in the states where wine and beer are sold by food stores.

According to data supplied by the liquor wholesalers and package stores based on statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the average drunken-driving fatality rate for the states prohibiting most wine sales in food stores was 3.41 deaths per 100,000 drivers. It was 7.78 deaths in Arkansas, 7.19 deaths in North Dakota, 7.01 deaths in Oklahoma, and 6.66 deaths in Tennessee.

Supermarkets launched two television ads yesterday that say the existing law, which limits a corporation to three liquor licenses, gives a ``virtual monopoly" to liquor stores. The ads say opponents of the ballot question are waging a deceptive campaign because ``they don't want any competition."

Both sides are gearing up for an expensive fight. Stop & Shop Supermarkets and Shaw's Supermarkets are the biggest supporters of the ballot question, while beer wholesalers and liquor wholesalers are financing the opposition.

The ballot question would create a new ``wine-at-food-store" license and give each municipality the option to award five of them. Municipalities with more than 5,000 residents could award another license for each additional 5,000 residents.

The ballot question defines a food store as a store that sells meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, fresh fruit, produce, baked goods, baking ingredients, canned goods, and dessert items.

Bruce Mohl can be reached at mohl@globe.com.