Underage Drinking and Driving

PowerPoint by John Arney

Questions to Start With

• Do you know anyone who has been in an accident related to drunk driving?

• Was it his/her fault or another driver’s fault?

What is Drunk Driving?

• According to lawcore.com, drunk driving is when an operator of a vehicle has consumed enough alcohol to inhibit him/her from driving in a safe manner.

For Starters

• Why is the legal age for drinking 21, when in most countries it is much lower?– Truth… Drinking hinders long and short term brain

growth.• This effects things such as

– Memory– Learning Capabilities– coordination, emotional control, thinking, decision-making,

hand-eye movement and speech

Here in NC…

• In North Carolina, the blood alcohol concentration at which one is considered legally intoxicated is .08%

• Drivers under 21 are legally intoxicated when their blood alcohol level is .01% or more.

What if?

• What if you are the one left alive while your best friend that was riding beside you is no longer with you?

• What if the driver of the other car doesn’t make it BUT you do?

What if?

• What if the other passenger barely makes it but has major medical problems because of the choice YOU made?

– Jacqueline Saburido was 20 years old when she was hit by a drunk driver. She is now 23.

The Facts

• Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among teenagers in America.

• By age 15, approximately ½ of America’s youth have had a whole drink of alcohol, not just a few sips.

Facts

• In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in alcohol-impaired traffic crashes

• 3 in every 10 Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash in their lives

Quick Facts• On average, someone is killed by a drunk driver

every 40 minutes in the US

• Each day 36 people die and almost 700 more are injured in vehicle crashes that involve a drunk driver

The Dangers

• Injury to yourself or another

• This could even mean the loss of life

More Dangers

• There are other dangers on top of injury…

– Being caught and pulled over by a policeman

Punishment

First offense• Fine (up to $4000!)• License suspension or restriction• Attendance at a DUI education course • ProbationSecond offense• A jail sentence • Another hefty fine• An almost definite license restriction

Another form of Punishment

• Some states are even identifying drunk drivers on their driver’s license.

• Humiliating?

New Ways of Preventing Drunk Driving

• Cameras to monitor if you are actually paying attention or capable to drive

One Question to Leave With

• Is driving drunk really worth messing your life up over?

Works Cited (Pictures)• "2,670 = Drunk Driving Deaths So Far In 2009." Cognac. Web. 18 Feb 2010.

<http://cognac.com/2670-drunk-driving-deaths-so-far-in-2009/>. • "Bad Things Can Happen When You Drive While Intoxicated." The Elliot

Schlissel New York Law Blog. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <schlissellaw.wordpress.com/.../>.

• "Dont Drink and Drive." Torch. Web. 19 Feb 2010. <http://www.torch.aetc.af.mil/>.

• "Drinking and Driving." San Diego Personal Injursy. Web. 16 Feb 2010. http://www.sandiegopersonalinjuryattorneyblog.com/

• "Jacqueline Saburido ." A Real Story of a girl. Web. 15 Feb 2010.• "Mock crash teaches lesson about drinking and driving." mLive.com. Web.

16 Feb 2010. <blog.mlive.com/>. • "Police Cracking Down." Maine Person Injury Law. Web. 16 Feb 2010.

<http://www.mainepersonalinjurylaw.com/uploads/>.

Works Cited• Free Advice, . "Drunk Crimes." Free Legal Advice. 2007.

FreeAdvice, Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://www.freeadvice.com/>.

• MADD, . "Get the truth about the 21 Law." WHY 21? (2007): n. pag. Web. 18 Feb 2010. <http://why21.org/>.

• MADD, . "Statistics." Mothers Against Drunk Driving (2009): n. pag. Web. 16 Feb 2010. <http://www.madd.org/>.

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, . The Surgeon General’s Call to Action To Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking2007. 2007. Surgeon General, Web. 19 Feb 2010. <http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/calltoaction