Tobacco Alcohol and Youth - Drinking And Driving

In 2003 a total of 7,884 drivers aged fifteen to twenty were involved in fatal crashes, a 5% increase from the 7,484 involved in 1993. Thirty-one of the drivers fifteen to twenty years of age who were killed in crashes were intoxicated, according to Traffic Safety Facts 2003—Young Drivers (Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). For young male drivers, fatalities dropped 5% between 1993 and 2003, compared with an 8% increase for females.

When alcohol is involved, the severity of a traffic accident generally increases. According to Traffic Safety Facts 2003—Young Drivers, of those who survived the 7,484 crashes in 1993, 4% had blood alcohol concentration TABLE 6.7
Students' opinions on the harmfulness to health of tobacco and alcohol, 2003-04
SOURCE: "Table 7.57. Do You Feel that Using Cigarettes Is Harmful to Your Health?," "Table 7.59. Do You Feel that Using Cigars Is Harmful to Your Health?," "Table 7.60. Do You Feel that Using Beer Is Harmful to Your Health?," and "Table 7.62. Do You Feel that Using Liquor Is Harmful to Your Health?," in PRIDE Questionnaire Report for Grades 6 thru 12: 2003-04 PRIDE National Summary/Grades 6 thru 12, http://www.pridesurveys.com (accessed March 7, 2005)

Grade level	Number of valid	Number of miss	No harm	Some harm	Harmful	Very harmful
Do you feel that using cigarettes is harmful to your health?
6th	14,791	385	3.9	8.2	29.4	58.5
7th	17,857	413	3.7	11.2	31.6	53.5
8th	23,348	586	4.3	13.7	32.2	49.8
9th	15,904	331	4.9	14.6	33.1	47.4
10th	16,181	352	4.3	14.0	32.2	49.5
11th	14,816	318	4.1	14.4	32.5	48.9
12th	8,892	228	4.6	13.4	31.2	50.8
Junior High	55,996	1,384	4.0	11.4	31.3	53.3
Senior High	55,793	1,229	4.5	14.2	32.4	48.9
Total	111,789	2,613	4.2	12.8	31.8	51.1
Do you feel that using cigars is harmful to your health?
6th	14,674	502	4.9	13.7	28.8	52.6
7th	17,770	500	5.0	17.2	30.7	47.1
8th	23,223	711	5.7	20.0	31.5	42.8
9th	15,821	414	6.7	21.5	32.6	39.1
10th	16,133	400	6.3	21.3	33.0	39.5
11th	14,734	400	6.2	22.2	32.6	39.0
12th	8,868	252	6.1	21.8	31.8	40.3
Junior High	55,667	1,713	5.3	17.4	30.5	46.7
Senior High	55,556	1,466	6.4	21.7	32.6	39.4
Total	111,223	3,179	5.81	9.5	31.6	43.1
Do you feel that using beer is harmful to your health?
6th	14,718	458	7.2	22.2	28.0	42.6
7th	17,781	489	8.0	26.7	28.3	37.0
8th	23,229	705	10.2	31.2	27.5	31.1
9th	15,848	387	11.3	34.4	26.6	27.8
10th	16,138	395	12.1	36.6	25.7	25.6
11th	14,775	359	12.5	37.4	25.3	24.8
12th	8,872	248	12.2	38.7	24.2	24.9
Junior High	55,728	1,652	8.7	27.4	27.9	36.0
Senior High	55,633	1,389	12.0	36.5	25.6	25.9
Total	111,361	3,041	10.4	31.9	26.7	30.9
Do you feel that using liquor is harmful to your health?
6th	14,664	512	5.2	13.1	28.3	53.3
7th	17,719	551	5.7	17.5	30.3	46.5
8th	23,156	778	7.4	22.2	30.8	39.7
9th	15,814	421	8.9	25.4	31.2	34.5
10th	16,114	419	9.9	27.6	30.1	32.3
11th	14,752	382	10.0	29.0	30.4	30.6
12th	8,863	257	10.3	30.2	29.9	29.7
Junior High	55,539	1,841	6.3	18.3	30.0	45.5
Senior High	55,543	1,479	9.7	27.8	30.4	32.1
Total	111,082	3,320	8.0	23.0	30.2	38.8

(BAC) levels between 0.01 and 0.09 grams per deciliter (g/dl), and 13% had BAC levels of 0.08 g/dl or higher. For those fatally injured, 6% had BAC levels between 0.01 and 0.07 g/dl, and 25% had levels of 0.08 g/dl or higher.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines a traffic accident as alcoholrelated if either the driver or an involved pedestrian has a BAC of 0.01 g/dl of blood or greater. All states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia have lowered the legal BAC limit for driving to 0.08. The NHTSA estimates that between 1975 and 2002 the minimum drinking age laws have reduced traffic fatalities involving drivers aged eighteen to twenty by 13%, saving approximately 21,887 lives since 1975. (See Figure 6.4.)

All states and the District of Columbia have "zero-tolerance" laws for drinking drivers under age twenty-one. It is illegal for drivers under twenty-one to drive with BAC levels of 0.02 g/dl or greater. The National Conference of State Legislatures reported that early evidence on the results of the law is encouraging. In the first four states to adopt the FIGURE 6.3
Percent of eighth, tenth, and twelfth graders who see "great risk" in having five or more drinks in a row once or twice each weekend, 1975-2003
SOURCE: Adapted from Lloyd D. Johnston, Patrick M. O'Malley, Jerald G. Bachman, and John E. Schulenberg, "Risk: % Seeing 'Great Risk' in Having 5+ Drinks in a Row Once or Twice Each Weekend," in Monitoring the Future: National Results on Adolescent Drug Use—Overview of Key Findings, 2003, The University of Michigan Institute for Social Research and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute on Drug Abuse, June 2004, http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/overview2003.pdf (accessed March 3, 2005) zero-tolerance standard, nighttime alcohol-related fatal crashes involving drivers under age twenty-one dropped 34%.