• Safety Tips:
• Community Safety:Happy New Year
• Kid's Safety:Happy New Year
• Statistics:Underage Drinking

Community Safety:

Many of us assume that because the holidays have passed, the risk of being a victim of an accident involving a drunken driver will decrease. Unfortunately, this is not true. With the colder weather and fewer hours of daylight, many teens and young adults turn their attention from outdoor activities to indoor parties, where more often than not, alcohol is served.

And, when the party is over, many of these party-goers will get behind the wheel and attempt to navigate snow covered or icy roads. The results are often tragic.

While most people are fully aware of the dangers of driving while legally intoxicated, there exists in many, particularly young adults, a type of invincibility that causes them to ignore these dangers and make a decision that can forever change their life as well as the lives of others.

Fortunately, organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Students Against Destructive Decisions have made great strides toward raising awareness of the dangers of drunk driving.

While both groups acknowledge that the best way to prevent alcohol-related deaths is through abstinence, they do not specifically preach alcohol avoidance. Rather, both organizations point to the fact that the consumption of alcohol by individuals under the age of 21 is illegal as is driving with blood alcohol levels over the legal limits.

MADD, a non-profit organization that was formed over 20 years ago, is, according to its website, the largest crime victimsí assistance organization in the world, with over 3 million members and supporters and over 600 chapters. Through the tireless efforts of volunteers from around the globe, a level of awareness has been raised which has resulted in a 43% decrease in alcohol related traffic deaths. And, while the organization's overall goal is to prevent people of all ages from driving while intoxicated, there is a particular emphasis on making sure that message reaches young people.

SADD is another well-known organization that aims to raise awareness, specifically among high school students. Formed in 1981, this organization was originally known as Students Against Drunk Driving. The name was changed in 1997 to better reflect the organizationís mission of preventing all types of destructive decisions and not just those associated with alcohol use. SADD relies on its members (middle school and high school students) to pass the organizationís message on to its target audience. And, as would be expected among people in this age group, the organization's website serves as another powerful tool with an average of nearly 2 million "hits" per month. For more information about either of these organizations, you can visit their websites.

Kid's Safety:

It's tough being a teenager in todayís society. Pressures seem to come from all angles: friends, parents, teachers and even from within. In some cases, these pressures are so great that the threat of disappointing a parent can cloud a teen's ability to make a good decision when confronted with a difficult situation.

Unfortunately, there will be times when your teenager will be confronted with difficult decisions involving drug and alcohol use. Despite the fact that it is illegal for teenagers to drink, many find it difficult to decline a drink when it seems as though everyone else is having one. Even if your child is not drinking, they may have traveled to a party with a person who will drink and by so doing, prohibit your child from arriving home safely.

Some teenagers believe they are making a responsible decision by appointing a designated driver for the evening, and while this will in all likelihood ensure their safe arrival home, it does not negate the fact that they are participating in an illegal activity.

So, short of imposing a round-the-clock curfew, how do you help encourage your child to make good decisions when confronted with such pressures?

Peer led groups such as SADD do a great job of bringing the dangers of drinking and driving to the forefront of teenagers' minds. With chapters found in many middle and high schools, SADD reaches nearly 350,000 students nationwide.

But what about schools that donít have SADD chapters? What options are available to these students?

One way is to assure your children that regardless of the circumstances, they can always count on you to pick them up if they feel their ability to get home safely has been impaired. Some families have a "no questions asked" policy for dealing with these types of situations. Others make sure their child leaves with enough money for a cab ride home should their ride become impaired.

Some parents take a tougher approach by signing a pledge such as the FingerPrint America Safe Home Pledge which documents the parents' commitment to not condone behaviors involving teenage alcohol consumption. This pledge, which should be renewed each year, documents the parents' commitment to ensuring there will be no unsupervised parties or alcohol served in their home.

Statistics:

How big a problem is underage drinking? Consider some of these statistics which were obtained from the SADD website:

• More than five million high school age teens report that they binge drink at least once a month.
• Four out of every five high school students have had a drink by the end of their high school years.
• Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among those ages 15-20. Of the 6,131 teenagers in this age group killed during 2000, 2,339 were alcohol related.
• Most alcohol related motor vehicle fatalities occur on the weekend. In 2000, 1,319 of the 2,776 fatal accidents reported involved underage drinking.

From MADD's website:

• 21% of the children under age 15 that were killed in automobile crashes during 2003 were involved in alcohol related accidents.
• Of the children 0-14 years old who were killed in alcohol-related crashes during 2003, 47 percent (209) were passengers in vehicles with drivers who had been drinking.
• Alcohol has been tried by 44 percent of eighth graders, 64 percent of tenth graders, and 77 percent of twelfth graders; active use is also widespread.

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