At the tap (photo: Governor's Office)

These days, safety is at the forefront of the consciousness of most New Yorkers. With New Year's Eve just around the corner – and the binge drinking that comes with it – alcohol-fueled accidents, crashes, injuries, and crime are an unfortunate inevitability. 

The bars and liquor stores that serve hard-partying New Yorkers need to recognize that there are serious responsibilities that come with their liquor licenses. In fact, their professionalism can mean the difference between life and death. 

I previously served as the Chair of the Public Safety Committee for Brooklyn’s Community Board 9 for three years. During those years, I found that most liquor licensees that came before us were unaware that it is illegal to sell alcohol to "any habitual drunkard" or anyone visibly drunk. Through numerous conversations with local law enforcement, I discovered the extent to which booze-powered incidents, accidents, and crime could be averted if these businesses would comply with the law.

For the most part, the fact that harm caused by an intoxicated customer — even in another location, hours later — could come back to haunt a vendor, was either unknown or ignored. 

Liquor licensees can protect themselves and their customers with Alcohol Server Training, a course, usually a couple hours, that educates vendors on the responsibilities and liabilities associated with serving alcohol.

Alcohol server training is critical for preventing underage drinking, reducing the risk of alcohol-related traffic crashes and other incidents, and preventing crime. It teaches servers to recognize when a patron has had too much to drink and to take appropriate action to protect themselves and their establishment from potential legal liability. By providing their employees with alcohol server training, businesses protect their customers from harm, and themselves from the potential legal and financial consequences.  

We looked at the statistics from the Mid Hudson Prevention Resource Center, which provides training and found that after taking the training nearly 100% of trainees responded on their questionnaire that the training should be mandatory. And why wouldn't they? Those few hours of training are a nearly effortless step in protecting individuals and businesses from liability and reducing some of the estimated 6,700 alcohol-related deaths New York suffers each year — but it’s not required in New York State.

As director of Operation Survival, a substance abuse prevention program, I joined a coalition of nonprofits that met with the State Liquor Authority to find out why this easy, low-cost preventive measure isn’t required in New York (as it is in other states like California) and discovered that mandating Alcohol Server Training would require state-level legislation. Until state government in Albany acts to make this training mandatory, Operation Survival is launching an awareness campaign, creating a variety of educational media and videos targeting liquor-serving businesses on the importance of Alcohol Server Training. 

Every industry has standards and certifications it requires of its practitioners to guarantee professionalism and quality. It simply doesn't make sense to have lower expectations of liquor licensees. Alcohol Server Training is a no-brainer for any responsible bar, restaurant, or liquor store and should be required by the State of New York.

***
Rabbi Yaacov Behrman is the director of Operation Survival, the founder of the Jewish Future Alliance, and a Chabad liaison. On Twitter @ChabadLubavitch.