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Drunk Driving

Drunk Driving

Every year about 11,000 people will die in drunk driving crashes in the US, one every 50 minutes
(NHTSA, 2009)

1 in 3 people will be involved in an alcohol relted crash in their lifetimes
(NHTSA, 2001; NHTSA FARS data)

Every minute, one person is injured from an alcohol related crash
(Blincoe, et al, 2002; Miller et al, 1998)

Drunk driving costs each adult in this country almost $500/year
(Taylor, et al 2002)

Extensive research has confirmed the dangers of drunk driving
http://www.centurycouncil.org/learn-the-facts/drunk-driving-research

Alcohol impairs your ability to drive by affecting:

  • Concentration
  • Reasoning
  • Depth Perception
  • Peripheral Vision
  • Reflexes
  • Reaction Time
  • Gross Motor Control

You should never drink and drive because even one drink can negatively impact visual functions and the ability to perform two tasks at the same time
http://alcoholism.about.com/od/dui/a/impaired.htm

TEEN DRUNK DRIVING

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens and one out of three of those is alcohol related
(NHTSA, 2009). http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811169.PDF

Teens get drunk twice as fast as adults, but have more trouble knowing when to stop.
http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/why21/

National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Statistics on Underage Drinking

1 in 5 teens binge drink yet only 1 in 100 parents believes his or her teen binge drinks
(Institute of Medicine, 2003)

Many laws are in place to reduce drunk driving among teens:

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan increased the legal drinking age to 21 and enacted more severe penalty legislation against bars and other establishments that get caught providing potential underage purchasers with alcohol.
http://www.alcoholalert.com/teenage-drunk-driving.html

Serious DWI (driving while intoxicated) or DUI (driving under the influence) laws exist to and been proven effective at discouraging drunk driving

  • BAC (blood alcohol content can be easily measured by law enforcement officials with the use of a breathalizer
  • In all 50 states, the legal limit for drunk driving is .08 BAC (blood alcohol content)
    • A 120-pound woman can reach a .08 BAC level after only two drinks and a 180-pound man can be at .08 after only four drinks.

Police have set up sobriety checkpoints and curfews

Many organizations have been working for decades to educate teens and help prevent drunk driving.  Visit their sites and learn more about drunk driving.

Drunk Driving PSA’s

Watch this Drunk Driving public service announcement and you may never drive while under the influence again.
http://www.spike.com/video-clips/42htvj/australian-psa-drunk-driving

Interesting facts about drunk driving and links to additional information:

Do you think drinking is just a phase all kids go through, and you’ll grow out of it?  Well, that’s a myth.  Read about this as well as other myths related to teen drinking
http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/why21/myths.html

Did you know that drinking alcohol can negatively impact your memory?  Read why the teen brain is vulnerable.
http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/why21/brains.html

Do you know what the penalties for drunk driving are?  Find out here:
http://alcoholism.about.com/cs/drive/a/aa082797.htm

Do you know what happens if you are arrested for drunk driving?  If you read these articles you will:
http://alcoholism.about.com/od/dui/a/driving_consequences.htm
http://alcoholism.about.com/od/dui/a/mandatory.htm
http://alcoholism.about.com/od/dui/a/What-Is-A-Dui-Sentence-Enhancement.htm

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