Auto Club, CHP Encourage Young Motorists to Drive Safe and Sober
23 December 1998
Young Drivers and Alcohol: Recipe for a Holiday Tragedy; Auto Club, CHP Encourage Young Motorists to Drive Safe and Sober
LOS ANGELES--Dec. 22, 1998--Young drivers and alcohol can be a deadly mix over the holidays, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California and the California Highway Patrol.
"You drink. You drive. You lose. Young drivers need to understand the consequences of making a bad decision," said Arline Dillman, Auto Club traffic safety expert. "Drinking and driving could cost young motorists their lives or the lives of their passengers. If you are under 21, a drunk driving arrest means losing your license and paying thousands of dollars in fines, fees, treatment, legal costs and increased vehicle insurance."
"California's teen population is expected to grow nearly 34% over the next ten years," said California Highway Patrol Officer Bill Preciado. "We don't want the number of alcohol-related accidents involving young drivers to increase as well. Driving is not a right; it's a responsibility and we want to urge young drivers to accept that responsibility."
Although drinking is illegal for drivers under 21 in California, nearly 2,000 drivers aged 16-21 who were involved in fatal crashes last year had been drinking, according to the Auto Club. 28 percent of ninth graders and 41% of 11th graders in California report they have driven a car while drinking or had been a passenger when a friend was drinking and driving. While young drivers make up approximately five percent of the driving population, they were involved in 13% of all alcohol-related crashes.
"These are sobering statistics," said Dillman. "Compared to older drivers, motorists under 21 have a higher risk of crashes at lower blood alcohol levels. Inexperienced drivers also tend to be inexperienced drinkers ... a bad combination."
"More than one-third of the 17,000 Americans killed in alcohol-related crashes last year were under 20 years old," added Preciado. "Young drivers often think they are invincible; they can do anything. The driving statistics prove they can't."
California has a zero tolerance law for young people under the age of 21. If they are stopped while driving with a blood alcohol level of .01% or greater, they must surrender their license on the spot and the license is suspended for one year. A court conviction can also lead to jail, treatment, restitution, vehicle impound, and the requirement that the offender use an ignition interlock device on the vehicle.
"The message for young drivers is simple," said Dillman. "Don't drink and drive. Make sure that someone who has not been drinking does the driving. Friends should also watch out for friends and take car keys away from someone who has been drinking."
The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of the AAA, has been serving members since 1900. Today, the Auto Club's members benefit by the organization's emergency road service, insurance products and services, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing programs, automotive testing and analysis, trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs and legislative advocacy. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's Web site at www.aaa-calif.com.
