"Mom I Need Money for a Lawyer"

Thoughts on Teens Drinking and Driving 

The phone call came in the spring of 2006.  My son was a couple of months shy of 18. Living with his father in another state, he had gotten a job working with some business owners they knew from church.  One late night, my son and another employee hung out at work - drinking and talking. When it was time to head home, my son realized his coworker was too drunk to drive.  He decided to take him home using the company's truck.  Little did he realize, he too was too drunk to drive.  As would happen they got in an accident on the freeway.

My son was hauled down to the jail and charged with a DUI.  He thought he was being a "good Samaritan" in driving the coworker home.  He minimized the impact the alcohol had on himself.  Next he had to hire a lawyer, go to court, pay fines, attend a DUI school.  He lost his license and ended up having a probationary period.  All for a night of fun . . . drinking after work.

Drunk driving is the symptom.

Alcohol abuse is the problem.

According to Mother's Against Drunk Driving: "10,839 people will die in drunk-driving crashes - one every 50 minutes and teenagers between 15 - 20 years old have about 20% more fatal car wrecks than any other age group."

So how can your teenager stay safe behind the wheel?

Here are some things you as a parent can do:

* Have your teen take driver's education.

* Practice driving with your teen.

* Teach your teen safe driving principles.

* Guide your teen in how to manage road hazards.

* Educate your teen on the effects of drugs and alcohol.

Enforce driving rules:  

  * No driving after a certain hour.

  * Do not drink and drive.

  * Call for a ride instead of getting in a car with a drunk driver.

  * No texting while driving.

  * Always wear a seat belt.

Because the chance of a deadly crash occurring with each additional passenger,  it is critical for parents to set limits with their teen on the number of passengers in a car. It is also helpful to limit driving at night and on weekends for the same reason.

Getting a driver's license is an American right of passage.  Let's work together to make sure our teens drive responsibily.

For more information on this topic check out MADD at http://www.madd.org/.