SOBERING FACTS ABOUT TEENAGERS DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE
CAR CRASHES ARE THE #1 CAUSE OF DEATH FOR TEENS.
16 to 19 year-old drivers are most likely to be in a fatal crash.
29% of Motor vehicle traffic fatalities were caused by drunk driving in 2018
10,511 Deaths from drunk driving crashes in 2018
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), more young people abuse alcohol than any other substance, and 12- to 20-year-olds account for more than 10% of the country’s alcohol consumption.
The risks of drunk driving are especially pronounced for teens. When they do consume alcohol, teens are more likely than adults to binge drink, leading to higher BACs when they get behind the wheel. The CDC reports that high school students drive intoxicated about 2.4 million times each month, and underage drivers are 17% more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash with alcohol in their system.
Drivers under the age of 21 represent about 10% of licensed drivers in the U.S. but are responsible for 17% of fatal alcohol-involved crashes.
PREDICTABLE EFFECTS ON DRIVING
BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION
.02
.05
.08
.10
.15
Decline in visual functions (rapid tracking of a moving target), decline in ability to perform two tasks at the same time (divided attention)
Reduced coordination, reduced ability to track moving objects, difficulty steering, reduced response to emergency driving situations
Concentration, short-term memory loss, speed control, reduced information processing capability (e.g., signal detection, visual search), impaired perception
Reduced ability to maintain lane position and brake appropriately
Substantial impairment in vehicle control, attention to driving task, and in necessary visual and auditory information processing
Nhtsa.gov
Drivers ages 16-20 with BACs of 0.05-0.079 percent are 12 times more likely to be killed in single-vehicle crashes than sober teenage drivers.
At BACs of 0.08-0.099, fatality risk is 32 times that of sober drivers.
https://www.iihs.org/topics/teenagers
Talk to your kids.
https://www.responsibility.org/prevent-underage-drinking/discuss-alcohol-with-kids/
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