General Facts

The facts about the risks associated with underage drinking are shocking. Knowing them will arm parents and young adults with the knowledge necessary to make a pledge not to buy or provide alcohol to minors.

Did You Know.....

· According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, alcohol is the drug of choice among youth. Many young people are experiencing the consequences of drinking too much, at too early an age. As a result, underage drinking is a leading public health problem in this country.

Nebraska is ranked 9^th in the nation for binge drinking and western Nebraska rates 3 percent higher than the State average. U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration survey titled State Estimates of Substance Use, 2002-2003.

· Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes approximately 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, and hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns and drowning.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle crashes are the
leading cause of death for 15-to-20 year-olds in America. In fact, young drivers between 15 and 20 years old, account for less than 7 percent of America's licensed drivers, yet are responsible for just over 20 percent of the nation's annual traffic crash fatalities.

Just as concerning, young drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 are more often involved in alcohol-related crashes than any comparable age group.

While all states and the District of Columbia have 21-year old minimum drinking age laws, more than 20 percent of young people below the legal drinking age reported driving under the influence of alcohol, other drugs, or both, in the past year, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

In fact, nearly a third (31 percent) of the 15 to 20-year-old drivers who were killed in fatal crashes in 2003 had been drinking. Twenty-five percent of the drivers had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of 0.08 percent and above.

The fatality rate in these crashes is compounded because young drivers and their passengers are much less likely to wear their safety belts after drinking. Sixty-five percent of 15 to 20-year-old drivers killed in all fatal crashes in 2003 were unrestrained. But 74 percent of the young drivers killed after drinking were not buckled up.