Teenagers across the United States, excited to be mobile and independent, obtain their driver’s license, and set out on our roadways with little experience, and even less understanding of the dangers of driving while impaired. You may or may not know that auto collisions are the number one killer of teens in America, and that teen drivers are four times more likely to die or be injured in a car crash than older drivers.2 Further, while teens account for approximately 10 percent of the population in the U.S., they are involved in nearly 14 percent of all auto accidents.2

Unfortunately, due to their lack of experience, and their higher levels of distraction, teen drivers have an extremely high risk of a crash during their first year of driving—some statistics say as many as half of all teens will be involved in a crash during their first year of driving. Teenage drivers tend to underestimate—or simply fail to recognize—dangerous situations on the roadways, and are much more likely to speed, make illegal turns, ride with an intoxicated driver, run red lights, and drive while impaired. As you can see, you have teens who are already inexperienced, who are also much more likely to drink and drive, or to ride with other teens who are drinking and driving. In fact, teen alcohol use kills 4,700 people each year. Consider these additional statistics1 on teenage drunk driving:

•   Eight teenagers die in DUI crashes every day in the United States;
•   Alcohol is a factor in a third of all teenage auto collision fatalities;
•   Underage drivers are much more likely to drive recklessly while drinking, and much lesslikely to wear a seat belt than adult drivers.
•   The effects of a single beer are much stronger in a teen than for an adult, as teens are stillgrowing and developing, and
•   Teens are more likely to be involved in a drunk driving accident on the weekend, andmale teens are almost twice as likely as their female counterparts to drive under the influence.

Talking to Your Teenage About Drinking and Driving

Should your teen driver be one of the many who drink then get behind the wheel, he or she could find the effects of a DUI can be extremely far-reaching. The DUI must be disclosed on college applications, employment applications, and even applications for financial aid, in some instances. Failure to report a DUI could potentially result in loss of rights, and even charges of perjury, when discovered. Remember that a teen’s social center of the brain develops faster than the executive center (responsible for weighing outcomes and controlling impulses). Because of this, it is essential that all parents talk frankly about driving under the influence with their teen driver. The following information may help you talk to your teen driver about drunk driving:

•   Know the facts about teens and drunk driving when you speak to your teen.
•   Encourage your teen to engage in activities which foster self-confidence and self-esteem;teens who are confident in their own abilities are less likely to succumb to peer pressure.
•   Make sure your teen driver is completely familiar with the laws regarding underagedrinking and driving, and really understands the consequences.
•   Consider a parent-teen driving agreement which sets limits on number of passengers inthe vehicle, driving times, use of cellphones in the vehicle, and drinking and driving.

•   Take the time to get to know the friends of your teenager as well as the parents of those friends.
•   Make sure there are clear expectations for your teen’s behavior—and clear consequences when the rules are not followed.
•   Model responsible behavior by never getting behind the wheel when you have been drinking—even if you have “only” had one beer.
•   Make sure your teen driver knows that his or her safety comes before anything else, and that he or she can call you for a ride home at any time, day or night.
•   Encourage your teen to get involved in such organizations as Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) or Teens Against Drunk Driving (TADD).

1. http://dui.drivinglaws.org/resources/dui-and-dwi/dui-basics/the-sobering-facts-underage- duis.htm

2. http://www2.courtinfo.ca.gov/stopteendui/teens/facts/teen-driving-crash-and-fatality- stats.cfm#content