How to Prevent Your Teen from Driving Drunk
Parents of teenagers are used to the nerve-wracking feeling of watching their child get behind the wheel of a vehicle for the first time, worrying if they’ll get to their destination safely. They’ve also spent time preparing their teen to say no if they’re offered drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
But have you considered preparing your child to be safe if they try alcohol? Intoxalock can help keep your teenager safe with a voluntary ignition interlock device.
Help your teen combat peer pressure:
Teenagers throughout history have completed impulsive stunts to impress others. They push boundaries and want to try new things as they enter young adulthood and gain independence. Think of yourself as a teenager: Did you ever feel pressured into doing something risky or dangerous? Did you ever consume alcohol underage? Did you ever drive a vehicle when you should not have?
Though drinking alcohol under the age of 21 is illegal, people aged 12 to 20 years drink 11 percent of all alcohol consumed in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While you likely don’t want your child drinking underage, drunk driving is even more dangerous.
Teen drunk driving statistics:
- One in 5 teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had alcohol in their system.
- 81 percent of these drivers had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) higher than the legal limit for adults of .08 percent (.05 in Utah).
- 90 percent of alcohol consumed underage is done while binge drinking.
- 17 percent of teens have ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.
Parents, you can give your teenagers another tool to keep them safe: a voluntary ignition interlock device. Teenagers will have an unnegotiable reason to avoid drinking and driving.
Ignition interlock devices are a breathalyzer installed directly into a vehicle. Drivers are required to provide a breath sample into the mouthpiece. If the provided sample contains a breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) under the set limit, drivers are able to start their vehicle’s engine.
If the sample provided exceeds the set BrAC limit, the device will prevent the driver from starting their vehicle. The device requires continued breath samples throughout a trip, which ensures that a driver can’t ask a sober individual to provide a breath sample to start the vehicle and then drive while intoxicated.
The device can be installed in any vehicle to prevent drunk driving. Intoxalock even offers lower pricing for voluntary ignition interlock devices because they don’t need monitored by your state.
The cost is less than $2 a day, a small price to pay to ensure the safety of your young driver. In addition to protecting your child, you protect yourself from lawsuits or insurance rate hikes if your teen is caught driving under the influence or has a drunk-driving related accident. Call 833-623-0200 today to learn more.
Download our infographic on Teen Drunk Driving Statistics
Know the consequences:
All states have zero-tolerance laws regarding teenage drunk driving. Some states will charge a minor under 21 with driving intoxicated if their BAC measures above 0 percent, while other states will charge if an underage motorist’s BAC is about 0.02 percent. Most states will automatically suspend an underage person’s license if arrested for driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Consequences for an underage drunk driving conviction can be harsher than an adult’s because the penalties include those for both driving under the influence and underage drinking.
Court fees, fines, higher insurance costs and other financial burdens stack up. Additionally, expunging a minor’s criminal record of a drunken driving conviction could take years. Teens could face difficulty finding employment or furthering their education following a DUI conviction.
Save yourself and your teenager years of hardship by scheduling a certified Intoxalock installation of a voluntary ignition interlock today.
