Senior Anna Damone acts as a victim of drunk driving as part of SADD's Every 15 minutes, which promotes driving without the influence of alcohol. --Photo by Lizzie Orman
Have your parents ever told you to be responsible behind the wheel, to always pay attention to the road and to never drink and drive…? Well, you may want to take your parents advice into consideration.
According to a survey done in 2008, 11,773 people have been killed due to alcohol impaired crashes. This number accounts for 32 percent of all traffic related deaths. In fact, motor vehicle crashes remain as the leading cause of death for 15 to 20 year olds. Although these numbers have been decreasing over the years, this is still a high amount of alcohol related fatalities amongst teenagers and young adults.
It is no secret that it does not require a lot of alcohol to become impaired and to begin making bad decisions. According to a Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) survey, of the total amount of 15 to 20 year olds killed in car accidents, 31 percent had been drinking and 25 percent of those killed had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher.
For those of you who are not aware, .08 is the rate at which one is officially intoxicated. Unfortunately, it only takes a few drinks to get that intoxicated. Also, nearly two percent of young drivers involved in fatal car crashes have a previous conviction for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI). Teenagers must be educated and aware that at any moment they may lose their lives due to an alcohol related accident.
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