THE PROBLEM

Young people are over-represented in driving accidents involving alcohol. In a recent year, people aged 16 to 24 were involved in 28 percent of all alcohol-related driving accidents, although they make up only 14% of the U.S. population. 1 Young people are also over-represented in drinking driver injuries and deaths. 2 Even when their blood alcohol contents (BACs) are not high, young drinkers are involved in driving accidents at higher rates than older drivers with similar BACs. 3

Teens and other young people may be over-represented in drunk driving accidents because, in part, they tend to

be relatively inexperienced drivers

be relatively inexperienced consumers of alcohol

be more likely to use illegal drugs

have a false sense of invincibility and immortality