Underage Drunk Driving

Each year, approximately 5,000 people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking. About 1,900 of these deaths occur from motor vehicle crashes involving the consumption of alcohol. The inexperience of young people behind the wheel, combined with the decreased functional ability that comes with consuming alcohol, can have devastating consequences.

Despite the dangers posed by underage drinking and driving, this behavior continues to be a widespread trend among young people. According to a 2005 survey conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• Of all 15- to 20-year-old drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes, more than one-fourth of them had been drinking.
• Young drivers are less likely to wear seat belts after drinking. Seat belts were not worn by drivers in two-thirds of all fatal crashes in which the underage driver had been drinking.
• Young males are more likely to drink and drive than young females. Almost one-quarter of young male drivers involved in fatal car crashes had consumed alcohol, compared to 12 percent of females.
• Each month, more than one-quarter of all high school students ride in a vehicle with a drunk driver.
• 39 percent of fatal crashes across all age groups are alcohol related.

Young people are often highly impressionable, so it is important to talk to teenagers about the importance of avoiding alcohol until age 21. However, young people do make mistakes, and a drunk driving charge can have serious effects on the future opportunities of a young person who makes the decision to get behind the wheel after drinking.

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Don’t let a DUI charge ruin the future of your loved one. If your child has been charged with underage drinking and driving, contact Rhode Island DUI defense lawyer James Powderly today at 401-662-9006.