Drinking and Driving Don't Mix (Emily Detert)

Drinking and Driving Don't Mix

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for more than one in three deaths in this age group. Per mile driven, teen drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than older drivers to crash (CDC). Adding alcohol to this equation only proves more deadly; not just for the drivers, but for those innocently involved in the motor vehicle accident, and their families and friends.

The issue is that young people are over-represented in vehicle crashes involving alcohol. According to the U.S. Department of Health and human services, young people are also over-represented in drinking driver injuries and deaths. Even when the blood alcohol contents of a minor are not high, young drinkers are involved in driving accidents at higher rates than older drivers with similar BAC’s (NIAAA 2006). But how big is this issue? In 2009, about 3,000 teens in the United States aged 15–19 were killed and  more than 350,000 were treated in emergency departments for injuries suffered in motor-vehicle crashes (CDC, NHTSA 2011).

Dr. David Hanson, a professor at the State University of New York- Potsdam suggests that teens tend to be “relatively inexperienced drivers, relatively inexperienced consumers of alcohol, more likely to use illegal drugs, and have a false sense of invincibility and immortality” (Hanson 2011).  

The first factor Dr. Hanson suggests is that teens are relatively experiences drivers. Stephanie Rogers, from MNN.com, gives advice on how to determine if one’s teen is ready to drive. Rogers tells the reader that there are crucial factors that parents and guardians should consider when their son or daughter is ready to get behind the wheel. Rogers writes:

·         “Does your teen make consistently poor judgment calls? Teenagers are still getting familiar with the ins and outs of decision-making, and even teens that are mature for their age will occasionally make the wrong choice. But a repeated pattern of poor judgment, like participating in unsafe activities, getting into trouble at school or binge drinking at parties, should be a big warning sign.

·         Are your household rules regarded as mere 'suggestions?' You tell your daughter to be home at 10, but she shows up at 10:45. You stress that your son shouldn't have friends over while you're out of town, but he decides to throw a party. If your teen treats your authority in such a casual way, he or she may view speed limits, traffic laws, seat belts and blood alcohol limits as suggestions, too.

·         Is your teen particularly susceptible to peer pressure? The need to fit in with friends affects nearly every teenager, but for some, it's taken to an unhealthy extreme. Teens that give in too easily to the demands of their peers, or make poor decisions to impress their friends, may engage in risky behavior like speeding or drinking and driving.

·         Has he or she demonstrated a good level of responsibility? If your teenager is helpful around the house, works hard at school and maintains a job - whether it's working at a fast food restaurant or just mowing the lawn every week - there's good reason to believe that he'll treat driving in much the same way.” (Rogers 2012).

Dr. Hanson next proposes that teens are inexperienced consumers of alcohol. “Research indicates that the human brain continues to develop into a person's early 20's, and that exposure of the developing brain to alcohol may have long-lasting effects on intellectual capabilities and may increase the likelihood of alcohol addiction” (Federal Trade Commission, 2011). “Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes” according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Despite this statistic, drinking continues to be widespread among youth, as shown by a nationwide surveys conducted by the NIAAA.

Teens reported that they drank because of peer pressures, it help alleviate their problems, and they had nothing better to do. Teens also reported that seeing advertising towards alcohol encouraged them to drink (PBS, 2011).  Teens who drink alcohol are more likely than nondrinkers to smoke marijuana, use inhalants, or carry a weapon (Federal Trade Commission, 2011), which emphasizes Dr. Hanson’s third point mentioned prior.

Lastly, teens have a false sense of invincibility and immortality. Scientists believe that long developmental period of the brain may help explain some of the behavior which is characterized by adolescence, such as their propensity to seek out new and potentially dangerous situations. For some teens, thrill-seeking might include experimenting with alcohol, as well as drugs and other dangerous, promiscuous activity. “Developmental changes also offer a possible physiological explanation for why teens act so impulsively, often not recognizing that their actions, such as drinking, have consequences” (NIAAA, 2006). Also, in 2008 nearly three out of every four teen drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt (CDC).

There is good news. Despite popular belief that alcohol issues are rising, there is actually a decline in alcohol abuse and vehicle fatalities. For example, statistics demonstrate that within a period of about 20 years, the proportion of American high school seniors who:

·         have ever consumed alcohol is down 13%

·         have consumed alcohol within the previous year is down 15%

·         have consumed alcohol within previous 30 days is down 27%

·         have recently consumed alcohol daily is down 67%

·         have "binged" (consumed 5 or more drinks on an occasion within previous two weeks) is down 24%

The task now is to continue to educate youth on the dangers of drinking and driving so the decrease of accidents is a continuous trend. The National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism suggests environmental interventions to help eliminate drinking and driving all together. To date, the most successful law in combating drinking and driving has been raising the minimum drinking age to 21 (NIAAA, 2011). NHTSA estimates that a legal drinking age of 21 saves 700 to 1,000 lives annually. Since 1976, these laws have prevented more than 21,000 traffic deaths. Other suggestions include raising taxes, enacting zero-tolerance laws, stepping up enforcement, school-based prevention programs, and family based prevention programs.

Today, alcohol is widely available and socially acceptable in society. Yet, it is proven to be dangerous and fatal to underage drinkers and society, as one sees motor crashes, homicides, suicides, and other alcohol related injuries. Identifying adolescents at the greatest risk can help stop problems before they develop. Innovative, comprehensive approaches to prevention are showing success in reducing experimentation with alcohol as well as the problems that accompany alcohol use by young people (NIAAA, 2011).




Resources:


Campbell, K. E., et al. Trends in Alcohol-Related Fatal Traffic Accidents: NIAAA Surveillance Report #38. Bethesda, Maryland: USPHS, 1996.



Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [Online]. (2010). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (producer). [Cited 2010 Oct 18].


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2007 [Online]. (2009). National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (producer). [Cited 2009 Nov 6 ].


Federal Trade Commission. (2012). “Dangers of Teen Drinking” We Don’t Serve Teens. Retrieved 19 January 2012. http://www.dontserveteens.gov/dangers.html


Johnson, L. D., O'Malley, P. M., and Bachman, J. G. National Survey Results on Drug Use from The Monitoring The Future Study, 1975-1997. Washington, D. C.: National Institute on Drug Abuse, Vol. I: Secondary School Students, 1998; National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (www.nhtsa.dot.gov).


National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). (2003). Traffic Safety Facts 2002: Alcohol. DOT Pub. No. HS–809–606. Washington, DC: NHTSA, National Center for Statistics & Analysis, 2003. Available online at: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSF2002/2002alcfacts.pdf


National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Alcohol Alert: Drinking and Driving. No. 31 PH. (January 1996) Available at www://silk.nih.gov/silk/niaaa1/aa31.htm.


NHTSA[2009]. Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2009. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis.


PBS. (2012). “Teens and Drinking.” Drinking and Driving.Retrieved 19 January 2012. http://www.pbs.org/justone/justo9.htm


Rogers, Stephanie.  (2012). “When are Teens Ready to Drive?” Mother Nature Network. Retrieved 19 January 2012. http://www.mnn.com/family/protection-safety/stories/when-are-teens-ready-to-drive


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012) Ninth Special Report to The U.S. Congress on Alcohol and Health. (June, 1997) Available at http://odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/HP2000/hppub97.htm.