The more nanny the state, the stupider the government, I think.

In the U.K., apparently, there are nearly 90,000 alchohol related "glass attacks" a year.  That's a nice way of saying that ninety thousand drunk Brits have someone smash a glass over their head every year.  Instead of attacking the source - binge drinking, which is an issue that causes the NHS an estimated £3 billion a year - the nanny state put its mind to perfecting the technology for shatterproof pint glasses.

Yep.  That's right.  Now, when you get into a bar fight, you can get clubbed in the head with a glass that can't break, as opposed to having someone slash your skin open with ragged glass.  I bet those Brits feel safer all ready.

The government is touting the prototypes as the first significant improvement in bar glassware in decades. The plan is to introduce the new glasses for use on a voluntary basis in pubs if tests show they are durable, cost-effective and safe.

 Alcohol Concern, a charity working to lessen alcohol abuse in Britain, praised the new designs.

 "We're very much in favor," chief executive Don Shanker said. "There has been good local research showing this could reduce the use of glass in violent incidents."

 Half of all violent assaults in Britain are alcohol-related and it has become common for drinkers to smash glasses and use them as weapons, he added.

 "You are five times more likely to be involved in a violent incident if you are in or around a licensed bar," he said. "There is a clear correlation."

 The government estimates that "glassing" attacks cost the National Health Service roughly 2.7 billion pounds ($4.3 billion) per year.

Posted by: Ember at 09:05 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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