It happens at least eight times every day in the United States. No one, not even State Troopers,
can get used to the sight of another crash, especially of another teenager's life
snuffed out because someone decided to climb behind a wheel of a car when they had
too much to drink or was high on drugs.
It is a horrible experience for our State Troopers to notify parents
that their child was killed and the cause was Alcohol or Drug related.
Read the Stories of such crashes:
KAREN FERREIRA
who was a victim of a Drugged Driver.
MISTY AND JASPER
who innocently accepted a ride with a friend who had been drinking. Very graphic photos.
ROBERT'S STORY who had
been drinking and driving and tragically died.
MIKE J. FORSYTHE
who along with a friend were both drunk when they crashed.
These are just examples of fatalities which resulted from Drinking and Driving.
Drinking Alcohol is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 in every State and of course,
so is Drinking and Driving. But Millions of teenagers still drink and drive or get
in cars with those who has been drinking or getting high.
All too often they end up dead or Crippled or in trouble with the law.
Here are some facts about TEEN DRINKING / TEEN DRUG ABUSE while driving.
-Alcohol impaired driving is the number one killer of young people today.
-About 8 children and teens are killed each day in cars driven by drunk drivers.
-Four out of ten teens who die each year are killed in car crashes.
-The death rate from drunk or drug driving among High School teens (16 to 17 years old)
is about twice as high as the death rate for drivers 25 and older.
- Any amount of Alcohol intake is twice as lethal when consumed by teenagers whose
bodies are still under development.
ALCOHOL GOES RIGHT INTO THE BODY from your Stomach and Small Intestines into your Blood Stream.
The Liver is the organ that processes Alcohol. It can only break down about half ounce of alcohol
in an hour. If you drink faster than what your liver can process, you become drunk.
If you are consuming drugs, it also goes right into your bloodstream and combining both intoxicants,
it takes even longer for the liver to process the alcohol.
POOR JUDGEMENT caused by alcohol affects your ability to make good decisions. Drivers who have been drinking take chances
such as driving at high speeds or following vehicles too closely.
ALCOHOL SLOWS REACTION TIME as with some drugs as well. A drinker needs more time to
react, such as to move a foot from the gas pedal to the brakes, or to turn the steering wheel. This makes driving
dangerous and a split second is the difference between life and death.
ALCOHOL CAUSES LOSS OF CONCENTRATION, drivers who can't concentrate are less likely to spot or avoid dangerous situations,
simply because ALCOHOL CHANGES THE WAY YOU SEE by causing blurring and even double vision.
It can also affect your ability to judge distances and greatly reduce night vision.
Alcohol fools your minds by reducing your judgment of how capable you are to drive. Some drivers actually think they become
better drivers after drinking and this mistake is often fatal.
These are just a few warning points and we strongly suggest that you visit the sites mentioned above
in order to understand the dangers of drinking and driving.
We have a website specifically designed for teens called: P.E.D.A. - Peer Education on Alcohol and Drugs
which targets various topics linked to Alcohol and Drugs, and after going through our website, you
might want to become active in Reducing DWI among teens by ordering the videos which best suit your classroom enviroment.
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Peer Education On
Drugs and Alcohol |
If you live in New Mexico and have been a victim or have a close friend who you lost, or have been convicted of DWI
and suffered its consequences, you can drop Dr. Roth an e-mail and help us by speaking at our panels, schools etc.
Make a Difference. You will be giving your Community the Gift of Life and a better Community for everyone,
including yourself.
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