underage drinking and driving you are under 21. you drink and drive in maine. you lose. this public...

Underage Drinking and Driving

You are Under 21.You are Under 21.

You Drink and Drive in You Drink and Drive in Maine. Maine.

You Lose.You Lose.

This public education lesson supports the Maine Chiefs of Police Association’s 2002 Campaign Against Underage Drinking and Driving. The goal of this campaign is to prevent alcohol related accidents, injuries and deaths of 16 to 20 year olds in Maine.


The Campaign StrategyThe Campaign Strategy

The law enforcement agencies participating in the Maine Chiefs of Police Association’s Campaign Against Underage Drinking and Driving will use the following strategies:

Prevention through public education and awareness.

Mobilized enforcement during particularly high risk times like proms, graduations, and other celebrations.


The Objectives of this lesson are that the learner The Objectives of this lesson are that the learner will:will:Become familiar with the Maine Chiefs of Police Association’s Campaign Against Underage Drinking and Driving.

Understand the importance of prevention and that it requires wide community involvement.

Understand the risks faced by all young drivers and their passengers.

Understand the dimension and seriousness of underage drinking.

Understand the impact of drinking and driving on 16-20 year olds.

Learn strategies to help young community members to develop responsible decision-making.


Why Prevention ?Why Prevention ?

Minors = High Risk

For Alcohol-Related Accidents that Result in Serious Injuries

and Deaths


Why Prevention ?Why Prevention ?Alcohol is the most frequently abused substance by young people who are 16 to 20 years of age.

Underage drinking in Maine is a serious problem.

Underage drinking in Maine persists despite that

•the legal age to drink is 21 years old.

•there is a Zero Tolerance law for underage drinking.


Why Prevention ?Why Prevention ?

Despite zero tolerance laws, 16-20 year olds:

•Do drink and drive.

•Are involved in serious and fatal accidents.

•Are seriously injured.

•And DIE.


Underage Drinking and Driving in MaineUnderage Drinking and Driving in MaineDuring the past 4 years, alcohol was related to an increasing percentage of deaths of young drivers and passengers in Maine.

Youth Fatalities Alcohol-Related Percentage

1998 34 6 18%

1999 35 8 23%

2000 29 10 29%

Statistics are not available for 2001.


Underage Drinking in the State of Maine Underage Drinking in the State of Maine is a Significant Problemis a Significant Problem

“Early use of alcohol in Maine is frequently supported by community norms. Underage drinking is often either implicitly or explicitly acknowledged by others as an acceptable rite of passage. The whole community needs to be involved in changing those norms.”

Report of the Maine Underage Drinking Task Force, October 2000


Young DriversYoung DriversMotor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20 year olds.

The fatality rate of young drivers is twice that of other drivers.

Only 7% of U.S. licensed drivers are between 15 and 20 years of age; yet 15% of drivers involved in fatal crashes are in this same age group.

Nearly 70% of young driver motor vehicle fatalities in the U.S. occur in rural areas.


Young DriversYoung Drivers

Young drivers are inexperienced drivers.

The crashes of young drivers are more likely to involve:

•a single vehicle

•driver error

•speeding

Although there are fewer teens driving late at night, 41% of fatal crashes involving teenagers occur between 9 pm and 6 am.



You are the most inexperienced drivers on the road.

You do not have many of the collision avoidance skills of more experienced drivers.

•You may not identify hazardous situations as quickly.

•You may not respond to them as appropriately.

In addition, some of you have a lifestyle that involves risk taking and unsafe driving.



Do passengers increase or decrease your risk for accidents?

What do you think?


Young Drivers and Young Drivers and PassengersPassengers

Research indicates that passengers strongly increase crash risk for both male and female teenage drivers; the more passengers the greater the risk.

One passenger doubles the fatal crash risk compared with driving alone.

Two or more passengers and the fatal crash risk grows to five times as high as driving alone.


Why Does Risk Increase with Why Does Risk Increase with Passengers?Passengers?The increased risk is thought to be largely the result of distraction and risk taking behavior.

•Verbal and Physical Interaction

•Loud Music

•Speeding

•Showing Off

•No seat belt use

•Alcohol or drug use


Alcohol is frequently consumedby 15-20 year olds.

More than 4 million people under the legal drinking age consume alcohol in any givenmonth.

AlcoholAlcohol


AlcoholAlcohol

Alcohol remains the numberone substance used by 8th

through 12th graders.

Over 50% of 12th gradersreport drinking alcohol within the past month.


Alcohol kills more than 6 times more young people than all other illicit drugs combined. 81% of teens self report that they have experimented with alcohol; most who do continue to drink.

Of all high school seniors who have ever drank alcohol, 91.3% report that they are still drinking in the 12th grade. 31% of high school students who drink, report that they binge drink once a month.

Not all teens drink. It’s important that everyone understand that it’s cool to not drink alcohol.

High School Drinking


AlcoholAlcohol

Despite the fact that drinkingalcohol is illegal for most collegestudents, alcohol is widely usedon campus.

44% of college students reportbinge drinking. Binge Drinking isconsuming four to five or more drinks quickly.


College Age DrinkingCollege Age Drinking

On an average day, 4 college students die in accidents involving alcohol.


College Age DrinkingCollege Age DrinkingApproximately 2 out of 5 college students are binge drinkers, defined as drinking 5 or more drinks in a row (men) and 4 or more drinks in a row (women). Students who frequently binge are 21 times more likely than non-binge drinkers to:

•Be hurt or injured

•Drive a car after drinking

•Get in trouble with campus or local police

•Fall behind in schoolwork

•Be sexually assaulted


Alcohol use is associated with the four leading causes of death among youth in the U.S.

1.Alcohol-related car accidents

2.Homicide

3.Suicide

4.Drowning


Do you know the effects of alcohol?Alcohol has a powerful effect on the entire body!

When alcohol is ingested, it is absorbed into the bloodstream and travels to all parts of the body, including the brain.

Alcohol is a depressant that intoxicates the nervous system.

It is also a poison that can kill the body if too much is ingested.


Alcohol intoxication results from the level of blood alcohol content (BAC) in the body. How quickly the BAC rises, and therefore how quickly the person becomes intoxicated, is affected by the following:

A person’s size, physical condition, and gender.

How much food they have consumed, their mood, their level of fatigue, their general health, and whether or not they take certain medications.

How much alcohol is consumed over what period of time.

The person’s tolerance to alcohol.


Alcohol Can Have Serious Negative Alcohol Can Have Serious Negative Impacts Impacts

Research findings indicate:

•Many underage drinkers are involved in binge drinking.

•Early alcohol use impacts physical, cognitive, social and emotional development, in addition to its well publicized role in car crashes, alcohol poisonings, sexual assaults, and other tragedies.

•Underage drinkers often underestimate how much they have had to drink and their level of intoxication.


Drinking Drinking & & DrivingDriving

Alcohol + Driving = A Deadly CombinationAlcohol + Driving = A Deadly Combination


Drinking and DrivingDrinking and Driving

Alcohol is involved in over one-third of these deaths; 21% of teen drivers who died were intoxicated.

The severity of a crash increases with alcohol involvement.

Alcohol-related highway fatalities are nearly twice as great for 18-20 year-olds as for the population over 21.


Drinking and DrivingDrinking and Driving

Alcohol has a direct impact on driving.

Alcohol impairs decision-making and ability to maintain control. Alcohol:

•slows reactions to hazards on the road

•impairs perception of speed and other risks

•impairs judgment and decision-making

Both passengers and drivers are less likely to use restraints or motor cycle helmets when they have been drinking.


Any Blood Alcohol Level Affects DrivingAny Blood Alcohol Level Affects Driving

.30

.20

.10

.08

.01

•Difficulty staying alert and attentive, vision is poor, depth perception is impaired, the driver may be nodding off or asleep.

•Reflexes begin to slow. Difficulty with steady braking and acceleration. The driver is more likely to take risks with passing and speeding.

•Any alcohol affects the ability to clearly see objects (road signs, other cars) and people.

•Emotions begin to influence driving. Difficulty concentrating on the tasks of driving and difficulty making quick decisions.


Making Making Responsible Responsible DecisionsDecisions

Responsible Decisions by Everyone in the Community


Changing the NormChanging the NormNot drinking is a healthy alternative.

It’s not cool to be drunk.

It’s not cool to drink and drive.

It’s not cool to be dead.

It’s cool to choose not to drink.

Everyone in the community should participate in open, honest discussions about alcohol, especially underage drinking and driving.


CommunicateCommunicateThe entire community is responsible for communicating that underage and irresponsible drinking is not acceptable. Is your community?

Parents should talk directly and honestly communicate their expectations about drinking alcohol while underage. Do yours?

Parents should clearly communicate that they expect underage youth to not drink even though there are pressures from their peers and the community norm. Have your parents been clear with you?


Stop the Availability Stop the Availability of Alcoholof AlcoholAlcohol is easily obtained by underage youth.

Adults who furnish alcohol are breaking the law and must be held accountable.

The community should send a strong message that parent sponsored parties involving alcohol are unacceptable.

Appropriate social alternatives should be encouraged and created by the community.

What has your community done about this?


Support the Enforcement of LawsSupport the Enforcement of Laws

•Strong community support for consistent enforcement of existing laws reduces underage drinking.

•When the entire community, including parents and law enforcement officers, signal their intent to enforce the laws and hold all involved accountable, underage drinkers and those who provide them with alcohol change their behavior.

The entire community benefits from responsible decision making.


Do You Believe That Your Community Do You Believe That Your Community Cares Enough About You to Act?Cares Enough About You to Act?

What can your community do to prevent underage drinking and driving?

What is your community doing to prevent it?

What’s stopping you from helping the community?


What Can Law Enforcement Do? What Can Law Enforcement Do? Enforcement is one of the crucial elements in combating impaired driving and underage drinking. Use Enforcement approaches such as saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints, and party patrols.

Public Education is also combat this serious and complex problem by involving the media, distributing printed materials, and speaking to high school and college groups.

Collaboration with Alcohol Licensees to eliminate underage alcohol sales. This is accomplished by targeting point of purchase and third-party sales.


Three primary strategies can be used by all community members and groups:

•Support Law Enforcement Efforts

•Provide Substance-Free Dances, Parties, Prom and Graduation Activities

•Promote Responsible Decision-making

These activities are often most effective and best attended when there is community-wide support, planning and attendance.

What can the Community Do?What can the Community Do?


What Can You Do?What Can You Do?It is imperative that every person in every community actively participate in preventing underage drinking and driving in their community.

Let’s set new Zero Tolerance in Maine.

Zero tolerance for serious injuries and loss of lives caused by underage drinking and

driving.

Do you care enough about yourself and your friends to take action?


CreditsCredits

This public education lesson supports the Maine Chiefs of Police Association’s 2002 Campaign Against Underage Drinking and Driving. The goal of this campaign is to prevent alcohol related accidents, injuries and deaths of 18 to 20 year olds in Maine.

The development of this lesson was made possible by a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Cooperative Agreement-DTNH22-01-H-05144) as part of its You Drink and Drive. You Lose. Campaign. This discretionary grant was awarded to the Maine Chiefs of Police Association and meant to facilitate the mobilization of Maine law enforcement agencies in addressing the impaired driving problem in Maine.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/alcohol/public.htm

underage drinking and driving you are under 21. you drink and drive in maine. you lose. this public...

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