HELPING OUR TEEN DRIVERS BE SAFE DRIVERS

Charles Sheriff Fred Davis &  Maryland Sheriff’s Association
Ask Community to Help Promote Safe Driving Choices to Teens

LA PLATA --- In an effort to make our streets and highways safer, the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association and the Charles County Sheriff Fred Davis are looking to the public to help reduce an alarming trend: young people getting into vehicles while under the influence of alcohol.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 17,000 people were killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents in the United States last year, a rate of one person every 30 minutes. Even more alarmingly, almost one third of the 15 to 20 year-old drivers killed in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. had been drinking.

"Tragically, many individuals under the age of 21 fail to recognize alcohol and driving are a lethal combination," says Charles County Sheriff Frederick E. Davis and the Maryland Sheriffs’ Association. "Too many young lives have been lost because of drinking and driving or have forever changed because their mistake cost another person’s life. As a community, we need to help prevent these tragedies by educating teen drivers and enforcing safe driving habits and good decision making at home."

Because of their relative lack of driving experience, adolescents are at greater risk for traffic accidents. Also, younger drivers are more susceptible than older drivers to alcohol–induced impairment. Studies from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control show that almost as many young men age 18 to 20 as legal-aged 21- to 34-year olds acknowledge driving while under the influence. Yet the problem is not confined to one particular age group or gender. Statistics show that approximately 70% of all teenagers drink alcohol, including one out of ten children between the ages of 12 and 13. Furthermore, a recent study by researchers at Georgetown University’s Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth found that, in certain age categories, teenage girls are drinking more than teen boys because of an increasing number of ads for products like wine coolers and alcoholic iced teas that are geared primarily toward young women.

Although tougher drunk driving penalties, seat belt laws and increased sobriety checkpoints have had a significant impact in reducing drunk driving fatalities, the battle cannot be won by law enforcement authorities alone. Family and friends often are in the best position to identify and prevent behaviors in adolescents that lead to underage drinking.

"While the ‘Say No to Drugs’ message has been heeded by a large number of parents and their children, what seems to be lost is the fact that underage drinking kills almost seven times more young people than all other illicit drugs combined. We’re always trying to get through to teens, but much of the groundwork needs to start at home and continue on with peer groups. The risks for being complacent are simply too high."

Organizations like MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and MOMS ( Moms on a Mission) are devoted to raising public awareness on the dangers of underage alcohol use. The Sheriff’s Office works closely with these organizations and has developed prevention programs and initiatives in Charles County in conjunction with local schools and community leaders to educate adolescents.

Fortunately, there are signs that young adults themselves recognize the high cost in both dollars and human lives for accidents that, in most instances, could have been avoided. Various surveys among the nation’s college students show that an overwhelming majority favors 21 as the minimum age to sell or serve alcohol and hopes to see drunk-driving rules more strongly enforced.

"We hope that at some point, common sense will prevail and these kids will learn from the mistakes of others before they learn from their own," said Sheriff Davis. "It’s understandable that young people like to have fun, but drinking and driving figuratively and sometimes literally crosses the line, leading to deadly consequences. There are better, safer, lawful ways for young people to have fun and its up to law enforcement and the members of our community to promote the smarter choices together."

Three teenagers have been killed in crashes so far this year, either as the driver or as a passenger, but none of the crashes involved alcohol. However, none of the three teenagers were wearing seatbelts.

Nine adults have died on Charles County roads in 2004 and four of the crashes involved alcohol.

To help promote better driving practices among teenagers, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office suggests parents and teenagers remember the following safeguards: