This spot from the Montana Department of Transportation is having some unintended consequences among that state's drunk population. The ad, by Partners Creative in Missoula, urges bar patrons to get a "sober friend" to drive them home—like, metaphorically speaking, a horse. But Montanans are taking it literally. Helena police chief Troy McGee knew there would be trouble when his station was flooded with calls about whether drunk horseback riding is actually legal. Guess what? In Montana, it is! (Under state law, you can't be arrested for DUI if your vehicle is moved by "animal power." You also can't get a DUI on a bicycle or in a wheelchair.) MDT director Jim Lynch is giving viewers the benefit of the doubt, telling the Helena Independent Record: "They absorbed the message. They got it." No, Jim. No, they did not.
