Statistics show teen drinking still a serious concern
According to two national leading non-profit organizations with the mission to stop underage drinking, statistics show the number of alcohol-related crashes involving youth are still high, a sign that communities’ effort to stop preventable deaths associated with the accidents could be stepped up. The Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Web site at www.sadd.org
shows that motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death among youth ages 15 to 20.
More than 6,000 youth motor vehicle deaths occurred in 2000, and 2,339 alcohol-related fatalities among youth ages 15 to 20 occurred the same year, according to SADD, which derived statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
According to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Web site at www.madd.org
, the results of a new Gallup survey announced by MADD and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. just in time for proms highlight a major public misconception that youth drug use is worse than teen alcohol use, despite research and statistics that show more youths are drinking and dying due to alcohol than all other illicit drugs combined.
“It’s clear that we need to educate more parents and adults about the dangers of underage drinking to save young lives and prevent injuries,” said Glynn R. Birch, MADD national president, in a press release.
In 2004, 2,223 youth ages 15 to 20 years old were killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes, accounting for 35 percent of all traffic deaths for that age group, according to MADD.
Also in 2004, during weekends around proms, 46 percent of traffic crash fatalities among 15- to 20-year-olds were alcohol-related, and of these fatalities, 72 percent involved a 15- to 20-year-old driver with alcohol in his or her system, according to MADD.
“Nearly half of all 15- to 20-year-olds killed in car crashes during prom season in 2004 involved alcohol,” said Bill Windsor, Nationwide assistant vice president of safety. “These are preventable deaths.”
The Gallup survey also shows that virtually all Americans (96 percent) considered underage drinking a “serious problem,” and nearly two-thirds said it was a “very serious problem,” while 91 percent of the public supports increased programs and initiatives to prevent underage drinking during prom season.
The results were revealed as teens participate in the MADD BuzzFree Prom sponsored by Nationwide, a school-based program where students pledge to party safe and sober on prom night.