Every 31 minutes, someone dies in an alcohol-related motor vehicle accident in the U.S. A disproportionately high number of fatalities involve underage drinkers. At all blood-alcohol concentration levels, the risk of being involved in a crash is greater for young people than older people. Statistically, it is almost certain that you or a family member will be involved in an alcohol-related motor vehicle accident.
A study recently published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that after a long downward trend, impaired driving in the general population has increased significantly. Eighty percent of impaired drivers reported binge drinking (five or more drinks in one episode), while most binge drinkers report they often consume far more than five drinks per binge.
Of the 216 child passengers ages 14 and under who died in alcohol-impaired crashes in 2008, nearly half were riding in a vehicle with an impaired driver. Another recent study reports 52 percent of teens admitted to drinking and driving or riding with a driver who had been drinking.
Kyran Quinlan, University of Chicago clinical associate in pediatrics, said, "After years of steady progress in the 1990s we are headed in the wrong direction." Urgently calling for new strategies to prevent impaired driving, with emphasis on reducing binge drinking, he ominously added, "This is not just a statistical bump or noise in the data. This is a true behavioral change."
Study authors conclude that the significant increase in drunken driving is probably due, at least in part, to the troubling increase in binge drinking. Unless prevention programs target binge drinking reduction, they conclude success in reducing impaired driving will be limited.
In our community, binge drinking among underage drinkers is particularly troublesome. Most alcohol consumed by teens occurs during periods of binge drinking. According to the CDC, collegians are more likely to report driving under the influence than non-students. Combining below-average teen driving skills with above-average alcohol consumption creates a real and present danger to driver and others.
In 2008, 500 people died on North Carolina roadways from impaired driving causes, ranking us 5th worst in the nation. A significant percentage were teenagers.
In a single year, a stunning 522 children under the age of 14 were arrested for driving while intoxicated. Of those, 113 (22 percent) were under 10 years old.
Researchers speculate as to the cause of this serious rise in teen drinking and driving. Some contend it's the fruits of the pressures of growing up in modern society. Others suggest teen delusions of "invincibility," personal freedom, immature judgment, or peer pressure, among others. Regardless of cause, we must be hyper-vigilant in protecting youths from becoming yet another drunken driving statistic.
Locally, coupled with stronger enforcement efforts, more must be done to prevent underage drinking and driving, and particularly health-damaging binge drinking. Young or old, as a threat to all, drunken drivers must be removed from our roadways.
Ronald E. Bogle is a retired Superior Court judge and works with the Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Free Teenagers.
