Alcohol and driving is a combination that has no positive outcome, it carries with it a trail of misery and pain unlike anything else we encounter on the roads. If you ask almost anyone, if they know or have known someone that has been harmed by the aftermath of an alcohol related driving accident? The sad truth is most will probably answer yes! Underage drinking and driving represents a huge problem being faced by law enforcement agencies across the globe, and although a great deal emphasis has been applied in our education system, their still seems to be a link between the amounts of cases involving young people today. Nationally, more than one-third of fatalities involving young adults between the age of fifteen and twenty resulted due to motor-vehicle related crashes. In several years statistics have shown as much as one-third of these deaths involved alcohol levels above the legal limit. So why are the youth more prone to becoming victims of drinking and driving, is it the all night partying, or is it the peer pressure to commit such acts? Several countries have already started early education prevention, focusing on drivers even before they receive their licenses. I could go on a tangent on the need for stiffer penalties or that I already think all young drivers until the age of twenty-one should require a breath analysis immobilizer, but this is not the topic of what we are discussing. To understand the link between under-age drinking and driving and auto-accidents would be as complex as discussing the theory of quantum physics. Honestly there are several factors to consider, with the youth of today. Minors simply mean higher risk! As young people we feel as though we are in control, like nothing can harm us. Another problem a young person faces is the lack of understanding when it comes to the affects of alcohol on our response system. As adults we have had enough experience drinking to know when we have had too much to be able to safely operate a vehicle, but a youth may still not understand this boundary. The next problem is simply the stupidity complex. Teens drink to rebel, escaping from the constraints of society’s rules and laws, to break the mold of having to act in a mature manor. This is what drives our youth to drink until they are sick, sleep with complete strangers, and get behind the wheel after having way too many drinks. There also is the lack of driving experience which can fuel the fire, so to speak! Without the experience of knowing how to react quickly, or understanding how to predict what other drivers may do, it goes without understanding that most young people are not the safest drivers to begin with. Add alcohol and you have a more than lethal combination, which is why there is such a high percentage of alcohol related youth accidents. Lastly, we have peer pressure! Sure Johnny doesn’t want to drive home, but Lisa (the hottest cheerleader in school) insists that she gets a drive home. Hormones and acceptance can sometimes force our young adults to make decisions that are not in their own best interests. So now that Johnny is behind the wheel, and Lisa is clinging to his shoulder, he now feels the need to speed a little to show his testosterone levels are raging, and you all know how this story ends. The sad fact of these stories is not only the loss of young life, but also the hapless victim that gets involved in their actions. I would like to take a moment to honor the young lives that have been ended much too early, and to hang my head for the victims that became unwilling participants in these awful events. It is such a simple decision, not get behind the wheel, but still every day the police and emergency services have to race to the scene of such carnage, all the while the whole ordeal could have been prevented. Please teach your children to respect their privilege of driving, and hopefully by instilling these values; another person will not have to pay for someone else’s awful mistake! Category:Home › Autos • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 2 • You should never use after-market auto parts when maintaining or fixing your car • Should a new car be rust-proofed? • Will the trend toward economy-size car models lead Americans back to buying smaller-sized cars? — part 1 • Five safest cars in North America • How to ensure your teen drives safely after getting a license • Pros and cons of using an hydrogen generator for your car • DIY automotive maintenance: How to change the oil