Our firm’s San Diego car accident lawyers, unfortunately, must handle many cases that involved teenage DUI related-car accidents.  What is startling, DUI is the cause of approximately 40% of all car accidents (NHTSA).  Of those, teenage DUI car accidents account for a large portion of that total number.

Some disturbing facts about teen drivers, their parents and DUI:

1. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70% of 16 year olds have consumed alcoholic beverages.

2. The American Medical Association reports that the average young person has felt the effects of alcohol for the first time by the age of 12.

3. The average 100 pound girl needs just 2 drinks to be considered legally drunk, while the average 150 pound boy needs only 2½ drinks to be considered legally drunk.  (One drink = 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1 shot of liquor.)

4. The Journal of Adolescent Health reports that within a given month, 1/3 of teens have driven with someone who has consumed alcohol.   To our car accident attorneys, obviously, this is very dangerous.  Moreover, it is an argument used by car accident insurance companies to reduce the amount of money an injured person should receive due to a car accident as this teenager should have known better than to ride in a car that where the person is driving under the influence (DUI).

5. On a typical weekend in the U.S., one teen dies in a car accident every hour (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety).  This means that 48 teens should die in a car accident this weekend as the result of drunk driving.

6. Indeed, each year, about 5,000 teens die as a result of a drunk driving, AKA, a teenage DUI car accident.

7. As San Diego accident lawyers, we are aware that every 22 minutes someone experiences a wrongful death in an alcohol related auto accident (Center for Disease Control Prevention).

8. On a given weekend evening, 1 in 10 drivers on the road in America have consumed alcohol while driving (NHTSA).  Obviously, this impairs a driver’s ability to safely drive a car which leads to unnecessary car accidents.

9. Another frightening statistic, in a single year, 522 children under age 14 were arrested while driving intoxicated (DUI).

10. Each year, alcohol-related auto accidents in the United States cost about $51 Billion (Bilcoe (a study),  et. al. 2002).

Our firm’s Sna Diego car accident lawyers strongly recommend that parents have a closer relationship not only with their teenagers, but with their young children, and of course, warn them about not only consuming alcohol, but the hazards of DUI.  If you are a parent, teach your teen that there are so many ways to prevent DUIs from happening before they get in trouble with the law.

Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer and find out how we can help you.  We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.