Underage drinking and Driving

For a long period, the legal age for purchasing alcohol was 21 years old in the United States. Yet, adolescents are still able to get their hands on it. Statistics have shown that nearly 50% of 13-14 years old have had at least one drink by the time they reach the eighth grade, and, of those 13-14 years old, over 20% have been drunk. Among 12th graders, almost 30% have at least 3 or more events of drinking per a month. And as the underage drinking rate increases along the ages of adolescent, the rate of traffic crashes is also greater.
In 2002, analysts said that about 25% of 16-20 years old passenger vehicle drivers fatally injured in crashes had high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC). Teenage drivers with BACs in the 0.05-0.08 percent range are far more likely to be killed in single-vehicle crashes -- 17 times more likely for males, 7 times more likely for females. At BACs of 0.08-0.10, risks are even higher, 52 times for males, 15 times for females.