More than one in 10 teen drivers report driving under the influence on New Year's Eve

December 19, 2012

With approximately 13 million licensed teenage drivers in the U.S., it's disturbing that more than one in ten (12 percent) report driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs on New Year's Eve.  According to a new survey from Liberty Mutual Insurance and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), New Year's Eve is the most common night of the year for teens to get behind the wheel after drinking or using other drugs.  What's more, teens already know this is a hazardous time to be on the road: of the more than 1,700 teens surveyed, 49 percent consider driving on New Year's as very or extremely dangerous.  And parents may not be helping to curb this behavior, as findings suggest parental consent to teenage drinking is also on the rise.

"There are approximately 3,000 teenage driving-related deaths a year, a third of which involve alcohol," says Dave Melton, a driving safety expert with Liberty Mutual Insurance and managing director of global safety.  "Parents have to play an active role in preventing underage drinking.  Talk to your kids before New Year's celebrating begins and make sure they understand the importance of making smart, and possibly life-saving, decisions."

According to 2012 survey findings, parents have become more accepting of alcohol usage by their teenage children compared to 2010 and 2011 data.  Despite more than 150 cities or counties and 24 states adopting laws which hold social hosts liable for serving alcohol to minors, nearly half (47 percent) of teens are allowed by their parents to go to parties where alcohol is served and 15 percent say they are allowed to host parties with alcohol.  Additionally, 37 percent say they are allowed to drink when their parents are present and 29 percent report that they are allowed to drink unsupervised.

"Many adults have a 'been there, done that' mentality when it comes to the issue of impaired driving among teens.  Yet, research points out that a majority of their children know that this is a timely and important issue," said Stephen Wallace, senior advisor for policy, research, and education at SADD.  "Ask your teen to make a New Year's resolution to avoid underage drinking and to stay out of cars with impaired drivers."

Source: SADD

Maine: We're all responsible for reining in alcohol abuse, underage drinking 

December 22, 2012

Alcohol is so pervasive in our society that most of us don't see its negative impacts until something or someone makes headlines, proving no one is immune from abusing alcohol.

We are reminded of this every time bad things happen to good people while under the influence. The question is, if we all know this, why do car crashes, underage parties, homicides, drownings, falls and a host of unintended consequences continue? Who is responsible?

Certainly, the primary person responsible is consumers themselves. But the bottom line is that we are all responsible for keeping alcohol out of the hands of youth and ensuring the safe and proper consumption of alcohol by adults.

So how do we do this? In Cumberland County, liquor licensees, law enforcement, schools, faith communities, media, youth groups and many other community groups have been working on this issue for a long time. Prevention is not a "one-and-done" effort.

Every year there are new teenagers, new parents of teenagers, new 21-year-olds, new liquor licensees, new school personnel, new law enforcement officers and new challenges. There is also the constant bombardment of advertisements, product placements and social conventions that put alcohol front and center.

Luckily, we have learned a thing or two about what works.

Alcohol consumption, while advertised as great fun, can come with real consequences for servers and consumers. The majority of our liquor licensees own well-run and respectable establishments. Identifying fake IDs is becoming harder, but the tools and training to spot them are becoming more sophisticated.

For those nursing that third glass, a server trained to identify visibly intoxicated patrons can respond appropriately -- or even avoid over service.

To read more, click this link: http://www.pressherald.com/opinion/were-all-responsible-for-reining-in-alcohol-abuse-underage-drinking_2012-12-22.html

Source: Portland Press Herald 

Alcohol companies market to children on Facebook and internet 

December 27, 2012

The only barrier between an underage drinker and an online alcohol website is the teenager telling the truth about their age, the National Preventive Health Agency says in a new discussion paper on the effectiveness of alcohol advertising regulation.

Three out of four teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 have tried alcohol.

The paper finds over 94 per cent of children aged 12-17 had seen alcohol advertising on television and 55 per cent had seen it on the internet.

Half the children who viewed alcohol websites didn't recognize it as alcohol marketing, the discussion paper says.

While advertising codes restrict alcohol marketing to children and prevent ads being shown on television until after 8.30pm, there are no such rules for the internet.

"The regulation of alcohol advertising on social media sites represents a new challenge for both advertisers and regulators,'' the discussion paper says.

"The internet crosses international boundaries, making the responsibility for advertising placement, content and regulation unclear.''

In 2012 alcohol brands were second only to the car industry in using Facebook to engage consumers, with some alcohol pages being viewed over 3 million times.

The discussion paper says most alcohol websites have low-level security measures to block under-age viewers.

"A common approach is for the person to enter their date of birth and only those who are over 18 years are granted access,'' the report says.

To read more, click this link: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/technology/alcohol-companies-market-to-children-on-facebook-and-internet/story-fn7bsi21-1226543723068

Source: The Daily Telegraph 

New underage drinking law cracks down on parents 

December 27, 2012

Provisions of an Illinois law expands on parents' responsibilities to prevent underage drinking on their property. A law taking effect Jan. 1 targeting underage drinking will crack down on parents who allow minors to drink anywhere on their property, expanding on the current law that specifies it is illegal to let minors drink at their home. 

The expanded law makes it a misdemeanor carrying a $500 fine for any adult to knowingly permit minors under the age of 21 to drink alcohol on their property or in their home. If the violation results in bodily harm or death, the adult will be charged with a felony, according to Public Act 097-1049 on the Illinois General Assembly website.

The provision also strikes the requirement that the person in the home knows about the underage drinking activity.

Further, a parent or guardian who knowingly allows a minor to use their property in a way that violates the act's prohibited sales and possession provisions is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.

Source: Patch.com