Personal Injury Blog

Teenagers At Higher Risk of DUI Accidents If Parents Driving Under the Influence

December 9th, 2011
parents driving under influence

Teenagers are more likely to drive under the influence if their parents do as well

Teenagers are much more likely to drive under the influence of alcohol leading to an increased risk of accidents deaths if their parents are driving under the influence.  That information comes from a study conducted by a federal agency, and although the results are not surprising to San Diego car accident lawyers, they do confirm that parents need to be vigilant about the kind of example that they set for teenage children.

The study which was conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, finds that teenagers are heavily influenced by parental behavior while driving.  Approximately 67,500 persons aged above 12 were surveyed as part of the study.  The researchers found that among 16 and 17-year-olds who had a mother who drove under the influence, 18% also drove under the influence of alcohol.  In contrast, among 16 and 17-year-olds living with a mother who did not drive under the influence, the percentage of teenagers drinking and driving was just about 11%.

Teenagers living with fathers who drove under the influence were much more likely to drive under the influence, than teenagers living with mothers who drove drunk.  About 21.4% of these teenagers were likely to drive under the influence of alcohol, compared to 8.4% of teenagers who lived with fathers who did not drive intoxicated.

While none of this is shocking to any San Diego car accident lawyer, it does underscore the fact that parents have a big role to play in determining children’s driving practices.  That is not to say that teenage children of parents who do not drive under the influence, are guaranteed to avoid a DUI, but parents can set a good foundation for what is deemed acceptable and safe behavior on the road.

Teenage drivers are some of the highest at-risk motorists for intoxicated driving.  These drivers are inexperienced, and also have a lower capacity for alcohol.  They have little experience in determining how much alcohol is safe for them to drink.  When you combine drinking and inexperienced driving by a teen motorist, the consequences can be disastrous.  Also, teenage drivers may have a different reaction to alcohol than other drivers.  According to a study, each .02% increase in the blood alcohol concentration level in a teenage motorist increases the risk of an accident much more dramatically than for older drivers.  Additionally, alcohol use can have serious consequences for teenage motorists, because they are also at risk for other dangerous practices, like speeding and aggressive driving.

 

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