December marks the time to observe Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, so Kidzworld is bringing you the cold, hard facts on drinking and driving.
The Effects of Alcohol
Alcohol is a depressant that slows down your brain and body. Your speech gets slurred, your vision gets blurry, you get dizzy and lose your balance, and you feel disoriented and confused. In that state, not even Superman could drive a car.
Drinking and Driving Kills
Even though drinking and driving is a crime, thousands of people continue to get behind the wheel - and kill thousands of innocent people in alcohol-related crashes every year. That's about one person every 30 minutes in the United States.
Teens and Alcohol
The legal drinking age in the US is 21, but nearly 80% of high school students have admitted to trying alcohol. With drinking and driving being the number one killer of young people,if someone you know has a problem find out what you can do to help put a stop to underage drinking and driving.
- Be responsible and don't drink. It may be hard when all your friends are drinking, but figure out what's more important - being popular or being alive?
- Don't be embarrassed to ask your parents for rides. Even if you worry you'll be in trouble for underage drinking, that sure beats being killed in a car accident.
- Never get in a car with someone who has been drinking.
- If you're going to a party where there's alcohol, choose someone to be the designated driver. The DD is the person who won't drink and will drive everyone home at the end of the night.
Did U Know?
- December is Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month.
- In 2006, an estimated 17,941 people died in alcohol-related traffic accidents.
- In 2006, 25% of people aged 15 to 20 who were killed in motor vehicle accidents had been drinking alcohol.
- People aged 15 to 34 are most likely to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Want to know how many drunk driving deaths have occurred in the US so far this year? Click here.
- For more facts and information on drunk driving, check out www.alcoholstats.com.
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