Teen Drinking & Driving?

Question

I'm 14 years old and I live in a town with a major drinking problem. Every year one or two students are killed in an alcohol related accident; during the summer a teen was in a boating accident while knee-boarding with his friends, and just last night another teen was in a driving accident. All of the accidents involve one or more students drinking underage and driving under the influence.

I was just wondering what happens in other towns...do your towns have this kind of problem? I've grown up with this, so I really don't know what it's like elsewhere. Also, what are your opinions on this?

Please don't bash me, I'm just curious about how other towns are. I don't drink now nor do I have any intentions of doing so until I'm over 21.

Thanks for your answers :)

Awesome feedback...just wanted to clarify a few details about my situation.

I come from a small, middle and upper class (a lot of very, very wealthy people), town...blue ribbon school, nationally recognized...etc, etc. I think in my town its mostly that kids are bored and they've grown up watching their parents play a round of golf and have a couple drinks every weekend, so they think that drinking is normal.

The school system has tried so hard to make a point to us to stop this madness, but nobody seems to listen. We've lost 2 this year, 3 last year, and I think 3 the year before. My principal made a speech to my freshman class urging us to have all of us make it to graduation and to fix the bad reputation others have given us. Other nearby towns have decided to ignore our educational and athletic achievements and only focus on our teenage drinking problem.

Thanks so much for your input! I really appreciate it. I've always been curious about how it is in other places, so thanks!

Answer 1

well everywhere has drunk drivers not just your town. but it sounds to me that someparents arnt protecting their children like they should. and the only way teens can even get alcohol is through adults that are of age therefore the adults that are of age are not playing their responsible parts as rolemodels. in germany they dont have as much problems with teens driving drunk because there is no legal drinking age there. therefull those teens do not have the urges to drink as much as ours do because it always been available to them. our society is in trouble these teens are the ones thats going to be running our world when we die. if we do not fix this we will have bigger issues later. just saying. ok im shutting up now. everything i said is totally true though

Answer 2

Well Im from the Midwest and like everyone drinks at the bar and then drives home, no big deal to them. The teens around here are crazy too, most start drinking and 7th grade and then get progressivly worst all throughout high school and college. We have accidents around here every year, someone from the area also ran over a person when they were drunk and the person died because they did not even stop and call 911. I personally do not drink, number 1 because its over-rated and number 2 because I'm not of age and it just feels lame to be an underage drinker even though beer is always available to us. Ugh, I also hate that fake lame excuse "there is nothing to do around here" like get a life and get a hobby. Buying beer for parties from older people costs more than going to the movie or going bowling.

Answer 3

There is a lot of teen drinking in the small town that I live in. However every two years they have a fake drunk driving accident to show people the effects of driving under the influence. It is really scary and has made everyone drink responsibly. Who ever has the party takes all keys and parents come pick everyone up so that their are no accidents.

Answer 4

We have that problem here where I live, which is in Wisconsin. We rarely have students killed in alcoholic related accidents, but we do have a LOT of students who are underage, who would drink a whole lot, and get caught for underage drinking.

Until 1986. drinking age in Wisconsin was 18. Students who first turn 18, would go into the taverns and drink like crazy, and they did have a LOT of alcohol realated crashes, which were also fetal, and also involved students. Therefore, either in 1986 or 1987, they had to raise the drinking age to 21.

In my state, the police are very stiff about teens drinking.

Answer 5

Where I live there are constantly alcohol related crashes with teens. At my high school there is usually 1-2 every year and a ton more DUI's and even more who never get caught...

I had the best presentation on why not to drink and drive. On of my middle school teachers' son drove while drunk and high and he ended up killing a woman. He has been in jail for 5 years and has about 2 more I think. She told her sons story and it was one of the sadest things I ever saw but it made me think about that girl who died every time I though about drinking and driving.

Answer 6

Hi Love,

Where I am from teen drunk driving is a big problem, just this summer (July) we had ten teens die in separate accidents. One accident a 14 yr old toke the keys from a friends house after a party and got three miles down the road and kill thee of them, the next day when the family and friends were at the accident seen, another teen ran straight into the mourners and three more and she was drunk. Teens don't even have to be drunk to be killing them selves and they're friends.
In the state of Hawaii the legal age for driving is 161/2 and teens are not to drive after dark or with other teens in the car, but it doesn't stop them from doing. Until the parents learn to take care of their children and teach them to be more responsible for their actions.

Take care and be safe....cya....

Answer 7

It sounds like we live in the same town....or our world is just ****** up! Yah about every two years here we lose a group of teens from drunk driving. It is absolutely sad. I have done it as well as many of my friends and people I don't know. Its stupid. I think that teens need to be more educated on drinking and driving. Parents need to be more concerned and wake up and realize IT CAN happen to their kids. One of the problems in my town is there is not much for teenagers to do. It is considered a retirement town so they focus on the old people instead of the teens that are going to take out the older ones! They need more places they can go and have fun. Everything here closes at 9 and what teenager wants to go home and go to bed on friday night at 9?? Not to many I know. There is alot of peer pressure to. It is a sad sad situation that needs to be addressed and stop being ignored. You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders. Keep that up!!!

Answer 8

Drinking is very common around here, infact I think my county is the most notorious for underage drinking; fairfield county, ct. I drink, but I don't drive anything or go into a vehicle where anyone has been drinking. Vehicles are no joke, and it's dangerous enough driving sober. We have a few people a year die as well, last dance 2 kids had their stomachs pumped and were like 4x over the legal limit-that's just stupid and excessive.

Answer 9

It's common in a lot of cities, i'm sure. In my town, a few weeks ago 2 teens died in a drinking induced accident. The driver was speeding down a DO NOT ENTER zone and ended up driving off a boat ramp directly into the water. It's a sad situation, and you are extremely adult in your decision not to drink until you are legally allowed to.

Answer 10

I don't think you will get bashed for this question. Personally, I'm going to give it a BIG STAR because it is a great question. Thing is, teens don't think about what could happen....I DO DRINK -- I'm not going to lie BUT I drink at home and will never drink and drive -- ever. When you are driving a car, it can be the same thing as driving a "weapon" and teens don't understand this. I have a friend who bought his daughter a car for her 16th birthday - she drove away and died. That wasn't about alcohol -- it WAS about not driving safely. He's never been the same - the dad who got her the car. Yes, it happens everywhere. But ya know.....posting questions like this MAY lessen it. My son had a friend who died in a drunk driving acident too -- drove him and 4 others into a tree at a high rate of speed. Don't ever drink and drive -- and I'm not against drinking --- I am against TEEN drinking though.