How to Reduce Teen Drunk Driving
June 18th, 2008
Maria Palma asked:
Teen drunk driving has been a growing concern for many people - especially for parents. As much as we’d like to believe that our children are innocent and will stay kids forever, the truth is, many young people are involved in illegal activities such as drinking alcohol. Although teen drivers represent a small fraction of the total driving population in the United States, teenagers do cause many of the accidents on the roadways. Consider some of these statistics:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 23% of teenage drivers in fatal car accidents had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08.
A report released by the NHTSA revealed that 50% of high school students polled have admitted to drunk driving
SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions formerly Students Against Drunk Driving) says that approximately three-fourths of high school students drink alcohol illegally even though they know the possible consequences of drunk driving
So, what can we do to reduce the incidences of teen drunk driving? Here are a few tips…
Have open conversations with your teenager on a regular basis. Talking to your teen about drunk driving isn’t something that shouldn’t be avoided because it’s a serious and tough issue to discuss or that you think they won’t listen to you. Talk to to your teen as early as possible and create an inviting and open channel of communication so they feel comfortable talking to you about this issue. The more you talk to them about drinking and driving, the more likely that it’ll stick with them. They’ll know how much it means to you that they stay sober when they drive.
Teens learn from their parents and the role models in their life, so if you set a good example and don’t drink and drive, they’ll be more conscious about doing the same.
Teen drunk driving could be reduced or avoided altogether if parents were made more aware of this issue and showed concern for their teens. Most of the time parents have this dominant, “Do what I say because I said so!” attitude that makes teens just want to rebel even more. Show them the same level of respect that you expect from them and they’ll be more inclined to listen to what you have to say.
Stephen
Teen drunk driving has been a growing concern for many people - especially for parents. As much as we’d like to believe that our children are innocent and will stay kids forever, the truth is, many young people are involved in illegal activities such as drinking alcohol. Although teen drivers represent a small fraction of the total driving population in the United States, teenagers do cause many of the accidents on the roadways. Consider some of these statistics:
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that 23% of teenage drivers in fatal car accidents had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08.
A report released by the NHTSA revealed that 50% of high school students polled have admitted to drunk driving
SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions formerly Students Against Drunk Driving) says that approximately three-fourths of high school students drink alcohol illegally even though they know the possible consequences of drunk driving
So, what can we do to reduce the incidences of teen drunk driving? Here are a few tips…
Have open conversations with your teenager on a regular basis. Talking to your teen about drunk driving isn’t something that shouldn’t be avoided because it’s a serious and tough issue to discuss or that you think they won’t listen to you. Talk to to your teen as early as possible and create an inviting and open channel of communication so they feel comfortable talking to you about this issue. The more you talk to them about drinking and driving, the more likely that it’ll stick with them. They’ll know how much it means to you that they stay sober when they drive.
Teens learn from their parents and the role models in their life, so if you set a good example and don’t drink and drive, they’ll be more conscious about doing the same.
Teen drunk driving could be reduced or avoided altogether if parents were made more aware of this issue and showed concern for their teens. Most of the time parents have this dominant, “Do what I say because I said so!” attitude that makes teens just want to rebel even more. Show them the same level of respect that you expect from them and they’ll be more inclined to listen to what you have to say.
Stephen