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 Ask Dr Moore - Underage Drinking and the Prom--My Worst Prom Ever

ASK DR.MOORE May 18, 2004

The following article is republished for prom season. Talk to your children. Know your children.

Underage Drinking and the Prom--My Worst Prom Ever

I was 16 years old. My high school prom should have been the happiest day of my life, but it was the worst. That was the day I died.

We never made it to the dance. There was a party beforehand and everyone was drinking. Someone spiked the punch bowl. Parents looked the other way.

You knew but you drove anyway. Skidding tires followed by a deafening crash of metal and glass. The flash of fear in my eyes lasted only a moment, then, the sparkle was extinguished forever. In that instant, every bone in my body was broken. So were the hearts of my family and friends whose lives were shattered that day.

Teen-aged drinking is not cool. It kills.

This video by rock band Simple Plan titled "Untitled" (How could this happen to me?) hits home with its chilling rendition of a fatal drunk driving accident.

"A child who reaches age 21 without smoking, abusing alcohol or using drugs is virtually certain never to do so."

- Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Chairman and President, The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University

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Ask Dr Moore Columns

 

Underage Drinking and Driving

Parent-Teen Driving Contract

Every year, nearly 6,000 teenagers are killed in car crashes and about 300,000 are injured. Despite safer cars, better roads and countless driving programs, the numbers have stayed fairly constant for more than a decade. But you can help change this. Talking to your teen about the rules of the road isn’t necessarily easy, but it is important. Especially when you consider that three out of four teens say their parents would be the best influence in getting them to drive more safely.

The following link will open a Parent-Teen Driving Contract that will help you outline your teen’s key driving responsibilities, decide on the consequences associated when those responsibilities aren’t met, and define your role in helping your teen succeed.

Once you talk over each issue and come to an agreement, fill out the rules and consequences in the space provided. Then sign and date it. Be sure to keep it in a prominent place, like the front of your refrigerator, so you can re-examine it often and make changes as your teen becomes a more experienced driver.

Click here to open the Parent-Teen Driving Contract (pdf)

 

Drunk Driving Statistics

Total Traffic Fatalities vs. Alcohol Related Traffic Fatalities - 1982-2004

Calendar Year
Total Killed in
Alcohol Related Crashes
Total Killed in
All Traffic Crashes
Number Percent Number Percent
1982 26,173 60% 43,945 100.0%
1983 24,635 58% 42,589 100.0%
1984 24,762 56% 44,257 100.0%
1985 23,167 53% 43,825 100.0%
1986 25,017 54% 46,087 100.0%
1987 24,094 52% 46,390 100.0%
1988 23,833 51% 47,087 100.0%
1989 22,424 49% 45,582

100.0%

1990 22,587 51% 44,599 100.0%
1991 20,159 49% 41,508 100.0%
1992 18,290 47% 39,250 100.0%
1993 17,908 45% 40,150 100.0%
1994 17,308 43% 40,716 100.0%
1995

17,732

42% 41,817 100.0%
1996 17,749 42% 42,065 100.0%
1997 16,711 40% 42,013 100.0%
1998 16,673 40% 41,501 100.0%
1999 16,572 40% 41,717 100.0%
2000 17,380 41% 41,945 100.0%
2001 17,400 41% 42,196 100.0%
2002 17,524 41% 43,005 100.0%
2003 17,105 40% 42,884 100.0%
2004 16,694 39% 42,636 100.0%

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS data

 


Driving under the influence, drunk driving, or drink-driving, is the act of operating a motor vehicle (and sometimes a bicycle or similar human-powered vehicle) after having consumed alcohol (ethanol) or other drugs, to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. In addition to driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of other drugs, a third "DUI" offense consists of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and other drugs. The drugs causing or contributing to the impairment need not be illegal, but can consist of lawfully prescribed or over-the-counter medication. Anti-drunk-driving advertising campaigns have aimed to raise awareness of the legal situation and the dangers of driving while intoxicated. Drunk-driving is responsible for a very large number of deaths, injuries, damage and accidents every year.

The specific criminal offence of drinking and driving may be called, depending on the jurisdiction, driving while intoxicated (DWI), driving while impaired (also DWI), operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OMVI), driving under the influence [of alcohol or other drugs] (DUI), driving under the combined influence of alcohol and/or other drugs or drunk in charge [of a vehicle]. Such laws may also apply to boating, or piloting aircraft.

Historically, presumptive guilt was established by subjective tests of the driver's impairment, such as difficulty reciting the alphabet or walking a straight line. Starting with the introduction in Norway in 1936 of the world’s first per se law which made it an offense to drive with more than a specified amount of alcohol in the body, objective chemical tests have gradually replaced the earlier purely judgmental ones. The statute usually specifies that it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeding a value sepcified in the statute. BAC is most conveniently measured as a simple percent of alcohol in the blood by weight. It does not depend on any units of measurement. In Europe it is usually expressed as milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. However, 100 milliliters of blood weighs essentially the same as 100 milliliters of water, which weighs precisely 100 grams. Thus, for all practical purposes, this is the same as the simple dimensionless BAC measured as a percent. Since 2002 it is illegal to drive in any US state with a BAC that is greater then 0.08%; in Sweden, 0.02%.

Driving while consuming alcohol is generally illegal. In some jurisdictions it is also illegal for an open container of an alcoholic beverage to be in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle or in some specific area of that compartment.

source: wikipedia.org

 

Links and Resources:

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD)

Boaters Against Drunk Driving (BADD)

Impaired Driving Facts - NCIPC

DUI.Com

Drunk Driving Laws

Focus Adolescent Services: Teen Drinking

Prom Night Tips to aviod Drunk Driving

The Century Council

Prom Tips From The Century Council

 
You Drink, You Drive, You lose - Don't Drink and Drive


State-By-State Traffic Fatalities - 2004
STATE

2004 Total
Traffic
Deaths

2004 Alcohol
Related
Deaths

Percent
Alcohol-
Related

2004 Fatalities
Involving a
.08+ BAC driver

Percent of
2004 Fatalities
Involving a
.08+ BAC driver

Alabama

1,154

442

38%

367

32%

Alaska

101

31

31%

28

28%

Arizona

1,150

435

38%

322

28%

Arkansas

704

276

39%

219

31%

California

4,120

1,643

40%

1,154

28%

Colorado

665

259

39%

194

29%

Connecticut

291

127

44%

106

36%

Delaware

134

51

38%

39

29%

Dist of Columbia

43

18

41%

11

26%

Florida

3,244

1,222

38%

865

27%

Georgia

1,634

525

32%

392

24%

Hawaii

142

65

46%

46

32%

Idaho

260

93

36%

76

29%

Illinois

1,356

604

45%

467

34%

Indiana

947

299

32%

236

25%

Iowa

390

110

28%

86

22%

Kansas

461

148

32%

118

26%

Kentucky

964

308

32%

256

27%

Louisiana

904

414

46%

312

35%

Maine

194

70

36%

58

30%

Maryland

643

286

45%

209

33%

Massachusetts

476

203

43%

164

34%

Michigan

1,159

430

37%

329

28%

Minnesota

567

184

32%

160

28%

Mississippi

900

341

38%

302

34%

Missouri

1,130

449

40%

359

32%

Montana

229

106

46%

97

42%

Nebraska

254

92

36%

75

30%

Nevada

395

152

39%

107

27%

New Hampshire

171

59

35%

50

29%

New Jersey

731

270

37%

191

26%

New Mexico

521

211

40%

153

29%

New York

1,493

587

39%

419

28%

North Carolina

1,557

553

35%

425

27%

North Dakota

100

39

39%

34

34%

Ohio

1,286

492

38%

391

30%

Oklahoma

774

278

36%

223

29%

Oregon

456

199

44%

145

32%

Pennsylvania

1,490

614

41%

512

34%

Rhode Island

83

42

50%

37

45%

South Carolina

1,046

464

44%

369

35%

South Dakota

197

86

44%

74

38%

Tennessee

1,288

519

40%

420

33%

Texas

3,583

1,642

46%

1,264

35%

Utah

296

72

24%

65

22%

Vermont

98

32

32%

19

19%

Virginia

925

359

39%

279

30%

Washington

563

246

44%

203

36%

West Virginia

411

136

33%

103

25%

Wisconsin

792

358

45%

296

37%

Wyoming

164

59

36%

51

31%

National

42,636

16,694

39%

12,874

30%

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2005

 

Fatalities and Alcohol-Related Fatalities among 15-20 Year Olds - 2003 v. 2002

2003 Fatalities 2003 Alcohol-Related
Fatalities
2002 Fatalities 2002 Alcohol-Related
Fatalities
Increase/Decrease in Alcohol-Related Fatalities
Number Number Percent Number Number Percent
Alabama 149 61 41 153 54 35 13%
Alaska 15 4 25 12 3 28 33%
Arizona 141 56 40 147 71 48 -21%
Arkansas 81 33 40 98 32 33 3%
California 612 190 31 650 226 35 -16%
Colorado 110 32 29 121 42 34 -24%
Connecticut 49 16 33 61 25 40 -36%
Delaware 29 10 34 18 3 17 233%
DC 10 4 42 3 2 53 100%
Florida 411 120 29 381 141 37 -15%
Georgia 236 49 21 216 55 25 -11%
Hawaii 22 17 77 17 10 58 70%
Idaho 46 16 34 36 9 26 78%
Illinois 238 96 40 222 94 42 2%
Indiana 138 38 28 141 35 25 9%
Iowa 72 30 42 55 21 38 43%
Kansas 87 41 47 104 51 49 -20%
Kentucky 122 24 20 165 46 28 -48%
Louisiana 135 55 41 144 61 42 -10%
Maine 22 5 24 38 9 24 -44%
Maryland 94 40 42 83 28 33 43%
Massachusetts 76 44 58 67 34 50 29%
Michigan 180 62 34 208 54 26 15%
Minnesota 109 31 28 108 41 38 -24%
Mississippi 112 34 30 132 30 23 13%
Missouri 202 73 36 196 66 34 11%
Montana 44 19 43 39 16 40 19%
Nebraska 50 20 39 64 22 35 -9%
Nevada 61 27 45 53 21 39 29%
New Hampshire 26 11 40 12 3 28 267%
New Jersey 84 32 38 94 29 30 10%
New Mexico 61 24 39 81 40 50 -40%
New York 211 75 35 242 58 24 29%
North Carolina 228 66 29 226 64 28 3%
North Dakota 18 14 76 21 13 62 8%
Ohio 217 63 29 229 64 28 -2%
Oklahoma 89 28 31 123 35 28 -20%
Oregon 82 27 33 66 18 28 50%
Pennsylvania 277 87 31 281 96 34 -9%
Rhode Island 21 13 60 12 5 44 160%
South Carolina 124 51 41 155 71 46 -28%
South Dakota 26 13 49 32 20 61 -35%
Tennessee 175 58 33 209 71 34 -18%
Texas 597 276 46 611 254 42 9%
Utah 59 4 7 65 15 23 -73%
Vermont 13 7 55 11 3 28 133%
Virginia 131 51 39 174 62 36 -18%
Washington 100 49 49 113 42 37 17%
West Virginia 59 22 38 65 26 40 -15%
Wisconsin 141 62 44 145 53 36 17%
Wyoming 17 7 41 31 12 37 -42%
Total 6,409 2,283 36 6,730 2,353 35 -3%
Source: NHTSA FARS Query, 2004
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