According to a survey conducted by Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease control, 38 percent fewer young adults of drinking age are getting behind the wheel these days than back in 2002. Even better, the number of people between 16 and 20 that reportedly drink and drive is down to 6 percent from 16 percent in 2002.
The study authors believe that a variety of factors are behind the shift in habits. A combination of educational campaigns, sobriety checkpoints, stricter police enforcement and other efforts seem to have paid off.
Dangers of Teen Drunk Driving
Although the steady decline in numbers of teen drunk drivers on the road is amazing, it is important to remember that there are still a lot of people driving under the influence of alcohol. Even at only 6 percent, that still means there are thousands of teenagers drinking and driving every year.
In 2013, the CDC says nearly 2,200 teens were killed in car accidents. The CDC also reports that 17 percent of the teen drivers involved in those accidents were drunk at the time. Thousands more car crashes resulted in injury.
In 2014, 18 percent of drivers between the age of 21 and 25 admitted to having driven after drinking in the 12 months prior.
Hit by a Drunk Driver?
If you are in a car accident with a drunk driver, make sure to take pictures of the scene, and talk to all potential witnesses. Contact a personal injury attorney soon so they can help you to get compensation for things such as medical expenses, property damage, and punitive damages.
We have to continue to push back against drunk driving by showing it won’t be tolerated. We should not be satisfied with a decrease in the number of drunk drivers until the percentage of people driving under the influence is zero.