CDC Study Shows Decrease in Teen Drunk Driving

A new study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals that the percentage of U.S. teens that drive drunk has decreased by 54 percent between 1991 and 2011. A BrevardTimes.com news report says that a Vital Signs study shows that even as gas prices and teen unemployment have reached an all time high, as well as the abuse of prescription drugs amongst teens, which has become an epidemic, the total amount of teens who drive under the influence of alcohol has gone down, with nine out of 10 high school teens (ages 16 and older) not drinking and driving during 2011.

The CDC study analyzed data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) from 1991-2011, which are national surveys  that ask high school students if they have driven a vehicle when they had been consuming alcohol “one or more times during the 30 days before the survey.” Researchers from the CDC focused their analysis on students ages 16 and older. Other striking statistics from this study include:

• 85 percent of high school teens who reported drinking and driving in the past month also reported binge drinking, defined by YRBS as having five or more drinks in a short period of time.
• U.S. teens were responsible for an estimated 2.4 million episodes of drinking and driving per month in 2011.
•  At 18 percent, high school boys ages 18 and older were the most likely group to drink and drive, while 16-year-old girls were the least likely at six percent.

If your teenage son or daughter is facing a drunk driving charge in the state of Maryland, you should consider seeking legal assistance from the Howard County underage DUI defense lawyers at Alpert Schreyer. Our legal team understands that a drunk driving conviction can have a very serious impact on the future of your child and will make every effort to have the penalties reduced or the charges are dismissed entirely.  Call (866) 444-6363 for a complimentary consultation.