nderage Drinking and Driving
According to the CDC.gov the number of teens who drink and drive has decreased by half since 1990 but more can be done. Nearly 1 million teens got behind the wheel in 2011 after drinking.
It is illegal for adults to drive with a blood alcohol level of .08% or higher, but it is illegal for anyone under 21 to drink, let alone, drive in all of the US states.
Here are some characters from YA books that deals with drinking and driving...
Frank Marder from Head Case by Sarah Aroson is a head, paralyzed from the neck down, and it's his fault. He was drinking. He was driving. Now Frank can't walk, he can't move, he can't feel his skin. He needs someone to feed him, to wash him, to move his body. But if you ask most of the people who are posting on www.quadkingonthenet, he hasn't been adequately punished. Two people are dead because of him. Frank should go to jail. Only "Annonymous" disagrees.
Ted's from Love Sick by Jake Coburn drunk-driving accident has ruined his life. it cost him his basketball scholarship, ended his plans for college, and forced him into AA.
Don't Forget about the power of three!!!
Head over to Moxie Writers for more on the YA cause/tough issue and organizations that help.
Head over to Susan Oloier's site for a song and lyrics that pertain to today's issue.
8 comments:
Really curious about Frank and "Annonymous," sounds intriguing. Both very sad stories, no doubt.
Kids aren't skilled drivers to begin with - add alcohol and that's a setup for disaster.
Having a daughter learning to drive, this is a scary issue for me.
It's great that the numbers have gone down.
A good step in the right direction, but I agree..more can be done.
I'm glad the numbers are down, but ANYONE going behind the wheel of any vehicle drunk is unacceptable. Innocent people's lives are in danger.
Teens especially have no fear of death so they can be more reckless.
A friend's daughter was killed in a crash where the other driver had been drinking. When her daughter's friends came to say their last good-byes at the hospital, my friend told each and every one of them (there were many) to never drink and drive...I cannot think of a more horrible and powerful message, nor can I imagine any of them ever drinking and driving (I may be naive), but I know that is all my friend can hope for.
Before I Fall has drinking and driving in it - it's a big part of the book...
I'm currently reading Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt. Izzy lost her leg in an accident with a drunk driver. So far it's pretty good, but I'll definitely be checking out Head Case since it sounds right up my alley. Not many quadriplegic characters out there.
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