Though declining slightly from 2006 to2007, the statistics concerning teens drinking and driving are still staggering every year and should serve as a warning that action needs to be taken by parents, communities, and government. Because driving safely requires concentration, dexterity, visual acuity, and coordination, a small rise in the blood alcohol level can impair an individual’s ability to operate a vehicle in an acceptable manner. This is especially true for small-framed teens drinking and driving.
According to facts gathered by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), almost 25% of fifteen to twenty year old drivers who were killed in a car accident in 2006 had a blood alcohol level of 0.8 or even higher. In fact, this blood alcohol level makes teens drinking and driving eleven times more likely to die. It seems that teens drinking and driving often forget or ignore the most basic of safety rules and exhibit behaviors that are riskier than normal. Consequently, of drivers ages fifteen to twenty who were killed in a car accident in 2006, 77% of them did not have their seat belts fastened.
Sleep deprivation and speed also played a role in the fatality of teens drinking and driving. Seventy-five percent of those killed in a vehicle accident involving alcohol were driving in the early hours of the morning, between 12:00 AM and 3:00 AM, and most were going at speeds significantly higher than those posted. Law enforcement officers find that alcohol impairs the judgment of these inexperienced drivers, causing poor decisions and risk-taking behaviors.
Parents are often surprised to find that beer, rather than hard liquor, is the number one substance consumed by teens drinking and driving. They are not surprised; however, that alcohol related deaths are several times more likely to occur at night and on weekends when teenage social activities are at their height rather than during a normal weekday. This is the reason many cities have enacted curfews during these times, hoping the increased adult supervision during peak drunk driving hours will save lives.
Because teens are just learning the skill of decision making, adults must step in to rehabilitate those teens drinking and driving. This can be done through education, community programs, and laws enacted for protection. Though costly, if these efforts save the life of one teenager, they will have been worth the price.
Nothing new here. And that’s the sad part, right? I mean we all know what’s going on and we all know what needs to be done to stop it. It’s time for everyone who cares to make that commitment. Thanks for bringing an important issue back into peoples’ minds again. Hopefully, it sticks.