Drunk driving is drunk driving, regardless of who is behind the wheel. There are times when people under the age of 21 get the urge to drink alcohol. Unfortunately, they often take this one step further and hit the road.
According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, underage drunk driving remains a problem throughout the United States. The organization shares the following statistics:
— Approximately one out of every six teens binge drinks. Despite this data point, only one out of every 100 parents believe this to be true of their teen.
— Every year, teen alcohol use is responsible for approximately 4,700 fatalities.
— Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death for teens. Additionally, roughly 25 percent of those accidents involve an underage drunk driver.
— Children who begin drinking at an early age are more likely to eventually be involved in a motor vehicle related accident.
— Just about 50 percent of all 10th grade students drink alcohol in some manner.
These statistics show that underage drunk driving is a problem. This holds true for the children doing it, their parents, educators and society in general.
With this problem growing, police are on the lookout for underage drivers who may be drunk. The issue with this is simple: it often leads to police targeting younger drivers who have not done anything to break the law.
If you or your child has been charged with underage drunk driving, it is a must to understand your rights. There are many defense strategies that can be used to help avoid serious trouble.
Source: Mothers Against Drunk Driving, “Underage Drinking Statistics,” accessed Dec. 04, 2015
