MADD Orange County - Underage Drinking Statistics

	Mothers Against Drunk Driving Orange County Chapter

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Under-Age Drinking Statistics (1994)

In 1994, over 40% of all the deaths of 16-to-20 year olds were a result of car crashes. About half of those (around 2,222) were alcohol-related. ⁽¹⁾
1,771 people were killed in car crashes involving alcohol between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve in 1994. ⁽²⁾
The number of intoxicated youth drivers in fatal crashes dropped 14.3% from 1983 to 1994. That is the largest decrease of any age group during this time period. ⁽¹⁾
The typical American will see 100,000 beer commercials before they turn 18. ⁽²⁾
2.6 million teenagers did not know you could die from an alcohol overdose. ⁽³⁾
Of the 20 million junior and senior high school students in America, ½ drink monthly. ⁽³⁾
More than 40% of teens who admitted drinking said they drink when they are upset. 31% drink alone. 25% drink when they are bored. 25% drink to "get high" ⁽³⁾
Since 1975, Minimum Drinking Age Laws have saved approximately 14,816 lives. ⁽¹⁾
21,000,000,000 miles were driven drunk in 1990. ⁽⁴⁾

SOURCES:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Fatal Accident Reporting System, August, 1995
Department of Health & Human Services, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Jam the Performance Magazine"
Department of Health & Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, Public Health Service. "Youth and Alcohol: A National Survey; Do They Know What They are Drinking?" June 1991.
Miller, Ted R., Children Safety Network Economics & Insurance Resource Center, National Public Services Research Institute, 1994

Page updated: August 13, 2005