|
What is the relationship
between underage drinking and driving in the US?
Data taken from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey at http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm
The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS, developed by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), surveys high school students throughout
the nation on topics relating to risky behaviors. According to the 2003
YRBS data, 12 percent of high school students reported driving a vehicle
after they consumed alcohol in the previous 30 days. During the last
decade this percentage ranged from 12 percent to 17 percent (see table
above). As might be expected, students in 11th and 12th grade were much
more likely to drink under the influence (15 percent and 20 percent respectively)
than students in 9th and 10th grade (6 percent and 9 percent respectively).
Male students were more likely to drive under the influence than their
female peers (15 percent versus 9 percent).
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
the number of fatal crashes involving a young driver (age 15 to 20) under
the influence of alcohol has decreased from 67 percent in 1990 to 49 percent
in 2000. In 2000, 21 percent of young drivers who were killed in crashes
were intoxicated. The severity of the crashes increased with the involvement
of intoxicated drivers: 3 percent of youth drivers involved in property-damage-only
accidents and 5 percents of youth drivers involved in injury accidents
were intoxicated, compared to 22 percent of youth drivers involved in
fatal accidents.
The NHTSA further reports that in the 1990s the number of youth who
drove under the influence decreased at a faster rate (from 65 percent
in 1990 to 39 percent in 1998) than the decrease of youth who consumed
alcohol, according to Monitoring the Future survey (from 82 percent in
1990 to 79 percent in 1998). Based on their research the NHTSA came up
with four factors attributed to the decline in both cases of underage
drinking and driving and fatalities caused by vehicle accidents involving
a young intoxicated driver:
- Minimum Legal Drinking Age Laws: By 1988 all US states had
the minimum legal drinking age set at age 21. According to NHTSA estimates,
the minimum legal drinking laws have saved 922 lives in 2000, and 20,043
between 1975 (when the law first began to be implemented) and 2000.
- Zero Tolerance Laws: This law suspends or revokes the license
of drivers under the age of 21 who are caught driving with a blood alcohol
content (BAC) of 0.02 or higher
- Youth Programs: States and local communities have implemented
programs aimed at education youth about the risks of driving under the
influence of alcohol, motivating them not to drink and drive, and other
activities.
- Measures Not Directed at Youth: Research shows that states
that were most successful at reducing drinking and driving across all
age groups were also the most successful in reducing youth drinking
and driving. This suggests that overall measures to reduce driving and
drinking also have positive results on youth.
For more information visit:
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System; 2003 Information and
Results
This page—part of CDC’s website—provides the user with
useful information regarding the 2003 YRBS such as a map of participating
states and cities and a summary of the results. In addition, the site
also provides interactive access to YRBS reports and graphs. http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Traffic Safety
This section of the NHTSA website provides the user with information
about laws, statistics, prevention practices and other topics regarding
driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. Within this
section, there is a category that focuses on youth drivers. http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.18e416bf1b09b6bbbf30811060008a0c/
Please contact the Northeast CAPT at capt@edc.org for more information.
|
