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Why Is Drunk Driving a Problem for Teenagers

Every day hears or sees a media article about the alcohol-related death of a teenager. Statistics about this occurrence soar at the end of the school year and at graduation time. Why is drunk driving a problem for teenagers? How do they get the alcohol in the first place, and why do they believe they’re exempt from causing a traffic accident when under the influence of it? The following is designed to shed some light on these questions and to offer some ideas to help stop this risky behavior.

Posted: Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 12:05 PM CST

Delta, PA -- (SBWire) -- 11/29/2012 --Teens are really just tall children, and they have the idea that they are invincible. They believe they can do whatever they want with virtually no consequences. When teens drink too much then get in a car and drive, they truly do not think they’re drunk. Why is drunk driving a problem these kids can’t seem to avoid? One reason is that access to alcohol is relatively unlimited for them. They can sneak it from their parents’ liquor cabinet, have an older sibling or friend purchase it for them, or go to parties where there are people old enough to drink legally and sip from their drinks.

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Another, more telling, answer to the question why is drunk driving a problem for teenagers is peer pressure. These adolescents live to please their friends and older teens, so when they’re encouraged to drink, they don’t want to look like a “goody-goody”, so they do it. The more alcohol a teen can ”handle” without throwing up or passing out, the “cooler” that kid is. Who decides what group is the “in crowd”? Teens, of course, and there’s enormous pressure to conform to the codes these “popular” kids define. Unfortunately, sometimes the accepted kids set out rules of conduct that the teens who don’t quite fit in will try to follow, even if it means doing something they know is dangerous and stupid.

How can communities band together to stop this scary behavior? Begin talking to children early in their developmental stages about how terrible the consequences of drinking then driving can be. Explain that every time a drunken teen makes the decision to drive, he takes the lives of others into his hands. Take older kids to talk with the families of teens killed by other, drunk, teens. Eventually, through education and positive communication, society will have the answer to the question “Why is drunk driving a problem for teens?” and will be able to halt the behavior before another life is sacrificed to it.

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Legal-yogi.com, an online purveyor of all things legal in most states, is located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and, has more information about teens and drunk driving and is happy to share it with others.