Drunk Driving Deaths And Teen Drinking
Prom season puts the spotlight on the major issue of teens driving under the influence of alcohol (or even drugs) and the chance of causing drunk driving deaths. Drunk driving deaths unfortunately happen all year round, not just during prom season; but this is a time where many young adults try alcohol for the first time and make one bad choice: to get behind the wheel and drive. In this article you will read about the statistics of drunk driving and the tragic deaths that result from that choice. Alcohol abuse and binge drinking is quite common among America’s youth; if we all continue to spread awareness on the dangers of drunk driving, we could potentially save a life.
Drunk Driving Deaths: Facts and Statistics
Whether you’re a young teen or a grown adult, you should never decide to get behind the wheel and drive if you have been drinking. You see horror stories on the news of someone losing their loved one to a drunk driver, so why do people continue to drive drunk and think that it won’t happen to them? One bad decision can change your life forever.
> In 2012, the state of Ohio had 385 total drunk driving deaths. What is scary is that 39 of those fatalities were under 21. (http://responsibility.org/state-facts/ohio)
> In 2012, the state of Ohio obtained 62 arrests of people who were under the age of 18 and were driving under the influence of alcohol. (http://responsibility.org/state-facts/ohio)
> In 2012, the state of Ohio had a grand total of 35, 629 arrests of people of all ages driving under the influence. (http://responsibility.org/state-facts/ohio)
> Nearly 1/3 of teen car deaths involve alcohol.
> 10.8 million teens drink underage in the U.S.
> Nearly 5,000 Americans who are under 21 die each year as a result from underage drinking.
> 54% of high school students had four or more alcoholic drinks on their prom night.
> 1 out of 6 teenagers admittedly binge drink.
So instead of prom season having to bring underage drinking and driving concerns, let’s continue to educate the youth in our communities the dangers of drinking and driving, along with the deaths that can result from it.
Teen Alcohol Abuse
Along with drinking and driving, prom season tends to be a time where teens and young adults tend to abuse alcohol and binge drink. Even if they’re smart and decide against getting behind the wheel, there is still dangers of violence, alcohol poisoning, sexual abuse, and bad decisions. It’s completely understandable that this is all rationalized as someone’s “party stage” but they don’t understand the consequences that could stem from one decision. If we can shed some light on this issue and save one girl from being sexually abused or one guy from getting into a fight and being arrested we would be happy. We definitely hope this helps teens decide against getting behind the wheel and drunk driving.
Binge drinking is not only dangerous in certain situations, but it is also detrimental to one’s health. If you or someone you know might have a drinking problem, call for help today at (866) 323-6590.
