What Teens and Parents Need to Know About, Drinking, Drugging, Driving and the Law – Part 2
What Teens and Parents Need to Know About, Drinking, Drugging, Driving and the Law – Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, I discussed some of the dangers of drugs and alcohol in America and many of the misconceptions about drinking. In Part 2, I’ll discuss issues for newly licensed drivers, peer pressure and the messages we send to our teenagers about drugs and alcohol.
Obtaining a driver’s license is a tremendous milestone in an adolescent’s life. It is a time when parents are handing their child a huge responsibility. Unfortunately, because most public and private schools have done away with formal driver education programs, most teens rely on the kindness of their parents, older siblings, or friends to teach them the rules of the road. This usually means a trip to the mall, a grocery store, or grandma’s house. Parents usually tell their new driver to: take the side roads, stay off the interstate, no night driving or, avoid driving through a rainstorm. Teaching a new driver how to drive under the most perfect conditions isn’t teaching the teen how to really face a crisis while behind the wheel. Then, there are many parents who really don’t drive within the posted speed limits themselves. Some tell their teens that police officers allow five to eight miles an hour over the posted speed limit to compensate for faulty speedometers. Other parents may tell their children a roll, look and go, is an okay thing to do at a stop sign. How many parents floor the gas pedal to make it through a yellow (caution, prepare to stop) light? If parents can’t teach their children the actual rules of the road because they themselves bend the rules, then how are they going to tell their kids not to drink and drive? It’s sometimes difficult for a parent to explain to their children what happens to them when they drink. After all, many parents socialize by having a drink or two in the company of friends and find it relaxing.
Teens and cars are a dangerous mix with many drivers under the age of 19 dying in motor vehicle crashes. Not only are teenage drivers involved in highway injury deaths—but also many die because they were simply passengers. One reason is that young people like to load up the car with friends packing more passengers in the vehicle than the number of seat belts. Many teens don’t wear seatbelts and unfortunately, many teenagers are drinking and driving in record numbers.
Why do some teenagers drink? The fact is, some see their parents drinking; and then there’s peer pressure. Feeling good is another justification and some teens drink to escape problems. These are only a few of the reasons given. Since the beginning of recorded time, alcohol in one form or another has been one of civilization’s favorite drugs. It is used to celebrate great events: marriage, birthdays, and promotions. It is also used in religious ceremonies, with meals, at social gatherings. Finally, alcohol is used for medical purposes as a mild sedative or to widen veins and arteries. I’ve heard some adults say, “The doctor told me to have some brandy before going to sleep,” or, “the doctor told me to have a glass of wine every day to help keep my blood thin.”
Teens hear these messages and think this substance, alcohol, can really get you up. You know, feel good, socialize more and perhaps, even medicate you. Earlier I said that alcohol is a depressant, a drug that acts on the central nervous system. It contains the intoxicating drug called “Ethanol or Ethyl Alcohol.” This drug works very similar to the anesthetic, Ether.
When someone drinks, teen or adult, the drug rapidly enters the human system and heads for the brain where it knocks out control centers, one by one, resulting in intoxication. Some of you probably heard the term, “responsible drinking.” Well, that term is meant for people over the age of 21. For those under 21, it is against the law in all 50 states for them to drink alcoholic beverages. Although some states allow minor children to drink at home and/or as part of a religious ceremony and this may be legal, parents may be liable if they allow their child to drink, and then drive or take other actions which might cause personal injury to others or property damage.
It has been my experience as a law enforcement officer that no area of juvenile justice has attracted more attention than drinking laws. The legal age for people to drink alcohol is 21 years. The age 21 has been a symbol of adulthood since medieval times, when at that age men were thought strong enough to wear heavy armor and go into battle. In modern times, we have given many rights of adulthood at age eighteen or lower ages. The drinking age of 21 remains the same because it has saved young lives by preventing alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes.
A Guide for Parents: Read more about how to restrict your teen’s access to alcohol.
In Part 3, we will look at the effects of marijuana and driving and the laws surrounding drinking, drugging and driving.
Phil Bulone works for the National Safety Commission and has been teaching traffic school classes since 1994. He retired as a detective from New York City Police Department.
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