Archive for the ‘Teenage Drunk Drivers’ Category

« Older Entries

Teen Drunk Driving Statistics in the US

Posted on Jul 22, 2010

Given their age and youthful nature, teenagers will express great enthusiasm when receiving their newfound freedom of getting their driver’s license and being able to drive on their own. However this newfound freedom, along with inexperience, in addition to the startling statistics of teenagers drinking and driving is a scary combination. Teens who have been drinking, usually lack good judgment, and the feeling of responsibilities and consequences of drinking and driving.

Teenage Driving In the US

In a recent survey conducted by the CDC, teenagers account for nearly fifty percent of binge drinking (drinking more than five drinks during one sitting). According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 6.4 percent out of 194.3 million drivers licensed in the United States fell in between the ages 16 to 20. Though these teen drivers represent a small percentage of the total American drivers, teenage drivers is said to cause a disproportionately high percent of roadway accidents.

Teenage Drinking and Driving – Some alarming statistics

• The leading cause of death for those ages 15-20 is a car accident.
• According to the CDC 4,767 teenagers died from fatal car crash injuries in 2004.
• According to the National Traffic Safety Administration and the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 31% of all 15 to 20 year olds had been drinking when killed in a car accident, and 25% of them were alcohol impaired.
• Teenage drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a motor vehicle collision than their older more experienced driving counterparts, notes the CDC.
• Teen drivers are responsible for twelve percent of all road-related fatalities.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports twenty-three percent of teenage drivers in fatal car crashes possessed a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) level above the legal limit of .08 on the breathalyzer test.
• According to a 2002 CDC report that, the econosmic cost of automobile accidents involving teenagers is a staggering forty billion dollars or more annually.

Drunk Driving Laws and Penalties for Teens:

The fact is, driving is a privilege. Though there are DUI laws in place, they are still being ignored. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is illegal and when you get caught your life will be turned up-side-down. Here are a few things that could happen:

• Increase in auto insurance rates or even denial of insurance coverage.
• Seizure of motor vehicle
• The loss or suspension of driver’s license
• Limited job opportunities
• Jail time
• Hefty fines
• Community service
• Probation, DUI programs

Alcohol abuse in teens is a serious problem in the US. Underage drinking and being illegally intoxicated can be life altering for not only themselves, but all innocent bystanders on the road as well. These statistics are real; don’t try so hard to be just another statistic!

Teenage Drunk DriversNo Comments »DWI Statistics Teenage Drivers Teenage Drunk Driving

Teenage Drunk Driving – How to Handle the Situation at Home?

Posted on Apr 30, 2010

What could be terrifying than a teenager driving? Maybe teenage drunk driving or even worse, your teenager drinking and driving. Imagine this scenario: your teenager goes out for good time or a movie with their friends. They should be back home at around nine o’clock, but it is already eleven-thirty and you haven’t heard from them. You hope they’re just running late but something inside leads you to believe it is something more. Finally there is a knock on the door and it is a patrolman from the local police department, lights flashing. The patrolman is standing at your door by himself and you automatically think the worst. He then informs you that you must come to the police station to pick up your teen that has been caught driving while intoxicated.

Parental Role in Teenage DUI

What do you say to your teenager on the way home? Do you try to scare him with horror stories and statistics? Do you remain silent and wait for him/her to speak? You should get the answer to these questions now! I am not going to pretend that I am an expert and I am not going to start dishing out advice. But you should be prepared. You should start reading up on all the advice that teenage parenting gurus have to offer. Also, think about some preventive measures find out about peer pressure and what going on at your teenager’s school. As a matter of fact, don’t wait until you have a teenager. Start now! Get involved in your child’s life; not just as an enabler or hoverer.

Serious Parental Choices

The enabler becomes the child’s friend and enjoys the child’s life as if they are reliving their childhood. These are the parents that buy alcohol for their child. We all know this type parent. Remember the friend that everyone would go over his house because his Mom was so cool? She would supply the drinks for you because she thought it would be safer for you to drink at her house rather than sneak off and do it. When you were over there you knew you were in for some fun!

Then there is the helicopter parent, always hovering over their kids. Never allow them enough room to grow. You knew this kid; his mother would never let him out of her sight! That didn’t help because then he would just sneak off and drink.

There are legal ramifications of having a teenager blow a .10 on a breathalyzer test or worse, wrapping his car around a telephone pole. One of his friends can wind up a paraplegic, another dead mainly due to your choices as a parent. This is serious stuff so check into it before you get there. Be a part of their lives as a parent; you’ll have time to be a friend when they are adults.

Drunk Driving, Teenage Drunk Drivers1 Comment »Drunk Driving Parental Guidance Teenage Drunk Driving

Drunk Driving in Teens – Is your Child at Stake?

Posted on Apr 21, 2010

As parents, it is important that we understand the issues that affect our children. We must understand that the realities of life are far different from when we grew up as kids. In our days as children, parents had more control over what, where and who their children associate with, without fear of the authorities accusing you of being anti-social or repressive. Today kids are given more freedom to develop their personalities and this has led to some being influenced by the wrong individuals who lead them into a habit of alcohol consumption. As a result, majority of teenagers are at risk.

Studies show that most teenagers practice what is known as “binge drinking”, where they consume five or more alcoholic beverages in one sitting. At their stage of physical development, their bodies are unable to withstand such high blood-alcohol concentrations. These results in them are becoming significantly disorientated where they exhibit a significant reduction in their judgment. When we add this fact with inexperience as a driver, all we can see is an accident just looking for a location to happen. This fact was corroborated by data issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration where they stated that although teens between the ages of sixteen to twenty only occupied 6.4% of driver’s license issued each year, these teens account for a disproportionately high percent of road accidents such as collisions, crashes and fatalities due to drunk driving.

What can Parents do about their Drunk-Driving Kids?

Many steps can be taken to determine if your child is at risk of drunk driving. Some of these steps include:

• Lead by Example: A huge majority of kids will tell you they started drinking at ages 12 or 13. At this age, they are not going to clubs or bars. So where do they get this alcohol from? We adults sometimes leave our bottles of alcohol carelessly around the house thinking they are of no interest to our kids. However kids practice what they see us do as adults and will become curious about drinking alcohol if the see us doing it. Always ensure that alcoholic beverages are carefully stored away from children and reduce their exposure to seeing us consuming it.
• Discussion: Start from a young age to educate your kids about the dangers of alcohol consumption and drunk driving. Be a good mentor to your kids, so when your kids express a desire to consume alcohol they will think about the effects it will have on them and you as a parent. Teach them resistance skills that will enable them to ward off peer pressure from friends who encourage them to drink and drive.
• Monitoring: Track your kid’s movement, their friends and the places they go. Most kids are involved in alcohol consumption and subsequent drunk driving based on the influence of friends. Set cut off times for clubbing and ensure that they have a designated driver whenever they go out. Also, look out for behavioral changes to detect when something is wrong.

Do you have other suggestions to control drunk driving in teens? We would really like to hear them out, do share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Teenage Drunk Drivers3 Comments »Binge Drinking Teenage Drunk Driving