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
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
Focus Adolescent Services: Teen Drinking
Prom Night Tips to aviod Drunk Driving
Prom Tips From The Century Council
State-By-State Traffic Fatalities - 2004
| STATE | 2004 Total |
2004 Alcohol |
Percent |
2004 Fatalities |
Percent of |
| 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% |
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% |
