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What does your father's hand-me-down 1967 Volkswagen Bug or your
dreamed of 2009 Jaguar XKR pricing at $122,334 have in
common? They both require a driver. No matter what type of car you
drive, if you drink and get behind the wheel, the outcome can
have the same results.
Although each state governs different laws and the
degree of penalty varies, one thing is agreed on - drinking and
driving can be devastating. In the United States, drinking under the
age of 21 is illegal. Statistics show that in 1996, 21% of all 15-20
year olds involved in fatal crashes had been drinking. Just think
about that, these individuals account for 6.7% of the driving
population, yet they constitute a staggering 14% of alcohol-related
fatalities among drivers of all ages. In a concentrated
effort to reduce these numbers, all 50 states have Zero Tolerance
laws that must be in full effect by 2003. This law has a "Use it &
Lose It" policy where drivers under age 21 with any trace of alcohol
in their systems will lose their driving privileges.
An ongoing concern is that alcohol-related car crashes
are the number one killer of teenagers. In 1980 a group of
brokenhearted mothers whom personally experienced tragedy in their
lives at the hands of a drunk driver, were prompted to form a group
called Mothers Against Drunk Driving or better know as MADD. This
group consists of committed individuals and determined volunteers.
Today, MADD is the largest crime victims' assistance organization in the world consisting of more than 3 million members
and supporters. On-going education and the creation of successful
programs have been directly linked to a 43 percent decline in
alcohol-related traffic fatalities, equating to an estimated 138,000 people whose lives have
been saved.
This will never happen to me - really? That's what most people
believe. more |
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