National statistics
The number of fatalities in teen drunk-driving crashes has declined 11 percent
since 2000 and 64 percent since 1982, going from 4,214 fatalities in 1982 to
1,536 fatalities in 2004. There were 2,600 fewer teen impaired-driving fatalities
in 2004 than in 1982.
The number of fatalities in teen
drunk-driving crashes in
Some pertinent
facts on underage drinking:
·
Alcohol
is the most frequently used drug by high school seniors, and its use appears to
be increasing along with the use of tobacco and marijuana. In 1998, 52% of high
school seniors consumed any alcohol in the last 30 days, compared to 26% who
used any illicit drug in the last 30 days. (1)
·
High school students lack essential knowledge about alcohol
and its effects. Nationwide, an estimated 5.6 million junior and senior high
school students are unsure of the legal age to purchase alcohol; one third do
not understand the intoxicating effects of alcohol; and more than 2.6 million
do not know a person can die from an overdose of alcohol. A projected 259,000
students think that wine coolers or beer cannot get you drunk, cannot make you
sick, or cannot do as much harm as other beverages. (2)
- Due to heavy or binge drinking, nearly one out
of every five teenagers (16%) has experienced "black outs,"
after which they could not remember what happened the previous evening. (3)
- Alcohol is a factor in the four leading causes
of death among persons ages 10 to 24: motor-vehicle crashes, unintentional
injuries, homicide, and suicide. (4)
- Girls are beginning to drink at younger ages. In
the 1960s, 7% of 10- to 14-year-old females used alcohol; by the early
1990's, that figure had risen to 31%. (5)
- More than 67% of young people who start drinking
before the age of 15 will try an illicit drug. Children who drink are 7.5
times more likely to use any illicit drug, more than 22 times more likely
to use marijuana, and 50 times more likely to use cocaine than children
who never drank. (6)
- Of the estimated
5.4 million junior and high school students who have ever consumed five or
more drinks in a row, 39% say they drink alone; 58% drink when they are
upset; 30% drink when they are bored; and 37% drink to feel high. (7)
- Approximately 88%
of 10th graders and 75% of 8th graders report that it's very easy or
fairly easy to get alcohol. (8)
- The typical American young
person will see 100,000 beer commercials before he or she turns 18. (9)
- The total cost of alcohol use by youth is
$58,043 billion per year, the equivalent of $216.22 for every man, woman
and child in the
Liquor Violations
- If you give alcohol to anyone under 21 years of
age, and he or she in turn
injures or kills someone or damages property, you can be sued.
- If a person under the age of 21 helps to pay for
alcohol, even if the buyer is 21 years old, it is against the law.
- Legally, parents can give alcohol to their own
children if it is consumed in their presence.
- A person must be 18 years of age to sell beer or
alcohol in sealed containers.
- No sale of beer or intoxicating liquor may be
made to an intoxicated person.
- There are limits on "happy hours,"
such as: no two drinks for the price of one; no discount prices after
- It is illegal for any person to possess an open
container of beer, wine or
liquor in a public place. - No one of any age may drink beer, wine or
intoxicating liquor in a motor vehicle: automobiles, recreational
vehicles, boat, riding lawn mowers, etc.
- An individual using a fake driver license to buy
beer or intoxicating liquor may lose driving privileges for one year.
- An individual who lends his/her license to
another for the purchase of beer or intoxicating liquor may also lose
driving privileges for one year and possibly be fined up to $1,000 and/or
be sentenced up to six months in jail.
Click here
for the Investigative Unit Complaint Referral Form.
RESOURCES: [1]