Teen + Alcohol = Unsafe Roads

Memorial Day is practically here. And that means it's time to celebrate the lives and service of those who served in the United States Armed Forces...unfortunately, we tend to mourn the loss of a young teen who took to the wheel while intoxicated. It is a known fact that in there are lots of fatal car accidents are the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 20. But in Texas alone, an estimated 169 out of 1,523 are from teenagers in that age range.


Here are more scary facts:

• Americans consume the most alcohol in their teenage years until their early twenties.
• Forty percent of alcohol-related car crashes result to death involving teenagers.
• Every day eight teenagers die as a result of teenagers drunk driving.
• 2003 statistics show thirty one percent of teenage drunk drivers were killed in motor vehicular accidents.
• Female teen drunk drivers are more likely to crash than male teen drunk drivers.
• Almost seventy percent of teenagers have drunk an alcoholic beverage, ranging from beer, wine, or one or many hard liquors.
• Estimates show that more than three thousand teenager deaths are results of injuries from vehicular accidents connected to driving under the influence of alcohol.
• More than twenty five percent of teens who die in vehicular accidents were actually drinking while driving.
• The highest crash rate in America is attributed to eighteen year old teens.
• An average teenage male had his first drink at eleven, for females it is thirteen.
• Teenagers who begin to drink at fourteen and below have four times the probability of becoming an alcohol-dependent than those who only begin drinking at the age of twenty one.
• On an average Friday or Saturday night, one in every ten drivers in the United States had been drinking.
• An estimated eleven thousand teenagers daily get their first taste of alcohol for the first time.
• Out of the 5,700 alcohol related teenage arrests in the DFW Metroplex from 2004 to 2009, 9% of those teenagers re-offended and had as many as five DWI's by the age of 20!

We encourage everyone to have fun this weekend and celebrate the brave soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom, but in the safest manner possible. Try making Memorial Day a family function. Find ways to entertain the people around you, especially your teenagers. The more they have to do, the less trouble they think about getting into. Plan to start your activities early in the morning so everyone will be tired by the evening. And plenty of food will definitely make anyone tired!

Remember, teens are not good at making judgement calls. As a parent or guardian, it is our responsibility to make sure they make the right choices. But of course we can't always be there to make sure they are not breaking the law. If that should happen and you need some representation, The Law Office Of T. Christopher Lewis is here 24/7. Call us at (817) 795-3900 or click here to submit a free case evaluation and we will contact you within MINUTES!

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day!