It’s that time of year again. The convention halls will be flooded with our teens dressed up in tuxes and beautiful gowns, making memories with the last few weeks they have of their high school career. While this might be some of the most memorable times they’ll have in their high school years, these weeks are also some of the most dangerous. We should all be working together to make sure that alcohol isn’t involved in any of these prom memories.
According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), good judgment is one of the first things to be thrown out the window when we start consuming alcohol. Teenagers who consume alcohol are more likely to get into fights, are more likely to have unprotected sex and are more likely to drive drunk or hop in the car with an intoxicated driver. As a matter of fact USA TODAY reports that that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens ages 16 to 19.
Our New York City car accident lawyers are asking parents and guardians to speak up. Your talks are more important than you might think. As a matter of fact, parents are the most influential people in their teen’s driving career. One survey even shows that close to 75 percent of teens value their parent’s advice more than anyone else and are more likely to listen to what they have to say. Make sure that your teen knows that drinking and driving is a one-way street to danger.
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, which is one of the reasons why we chose April 21st as PowerTalk 21 day, the national day for parents and teens to talk about alcohol.
One of the first things to go out the window is good judgment. Teenagers who consume alcohol are much more likely to get into fights, to have unprotected sex and to drive drunk or get into the vehicle with a drunk driver. According to USA TODAY, car accidents continue to be the leading cause of death for teens age 16 through 19. But you can help to better these statistics for your child.
In 2010, 1 in 5 of those teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had alcohol in their blood.
The truth of the matter is that alcohol-related car accident fatalities account for more than 30 percent of all traffic accident fatalities. Throughout 2011, close to 850 of the drivers involved in fatal drunk driving car accidents were drivers between the ages of 16 and 20.
Prom is a memorable time, but we want to be in the right mindset to remember it. Teens are most likely to drink to high levels to cause blackouts and brownouts. You may not be familiar with the term brownout, but unlike a blackout where you lose all of your memory, a brownout is when you have gaps in memory loss. And who would want to miss out on their prom?
Make sure your teen understand that this is going to be one of the best memories of their high school career and it’s important that they enjoy it to the fullest, because they won’t have a second chance.
The Law Offices of Nicholas Rose, PLLC offers free consultations to those who have been injured in a distracted driving accident. Call 1-877-313-7673.
More Blog Entries:
Distracted Driving Warnings Have Little Impact on Curbing Behavior, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, April 22, 2013
April is Distracted-Driving Month — Stop Daydreaming New York!, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, April 20, 2013
