As one of the crucial and weighty issue, the teenage drinking and driving has grabbed my attention for the essay. Each year, approximately 5,000 young people under the age of 21 die as a result of underage drinking; this includes about 1,900 deaths from motor vehicle crashes, 1,600 as a result of homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries such as falls, burns, and drowning. I believe that there is nothing more serious than losing a life, of a beloved son, daughter, friends, and/or cousins. To start off, why is it so harmful for teenagers to drink? People aged 18 to 24 were expected to drink excessive quantity, which is usually more than six standard drinks for men or more than four for women at one occasion. People in that same age group experienced critical amount in harm from their drinking. (NZHerald) Teenagers lack in controlling how much they drink, also there are peer pressures which cannot be ignored. From a personal experience, I witnessed a boy being called ‘lame’ because he was not drunk or ‘passed out’ at a party. What’s more, the researchers found out that Teenage years are for swift growth and also a vital time for physical and emotional changes. Furthermore even though the research in this area is in its early development, it does put forward that teenage drinking may cause physiological damage, even if taken for a short time. (guardian). The occurrence of binge drinking in teenagers is a noticeable distress for anyone.
Now going deeper into the topic, teenagers are making false judgement after drinking and jumping into driving vehicles. Taking too much alcohol over-boosts their confident which causes them to hop in to a car and drive as if they are the best driver in the world. In one of the articles I found and bookmarked, it mentions that teenage drivers are getting drunk and deciding to drive a vehicle in an alarmingly increasing numbers than ever before. Moreover, the customary alcohol breath tests in Auckland area shows that the number of intoxicated drivers under 20 has increased by 77 per cent compared with two or three years ago. (NZHerald) Julie Elliotte, a student from SADD (students against driving drunk) was horror-struck when this figure was announced. Although the legal limit of a 20 or under age group for alcohol is 150mcg, a police stopped a 19 year old girl near South Auckland with her breath alcohol level of 1000mcg. This was recent. On another article it is arguing that they should come up with a stronger law. It also mentions “Alcohol Healthwatch says police reports of a 77 percent increase in teenage drink-driving shows our alcohol laws need a major overhaul.” They counted 2227 young drivers at the Auckland checkpoint alcohol group at the checkpoint and that they are just waiting for an accident to happen. Not only the law but they mention something else should be done. The teenage drinking problem has changed significantly compared to the past. According to an article from New Zealand Herald, On December 7, 1984, Crowds of teenagers had gone mad on Queen Street in central Auckland, rioting and prowling and leaving a stunned nation question what was happening to civilization. (NZHerald) Most of them were heavily drunk youngsters and that a few were even old enough to identify the differences between what is right and wrong.
Personally I think the drinking age should be raised also adults needs to lead them as an example and accept that if they want their teenagers to behave securely and sensibly with alcohol they have to change their attitudes to alcohol, young ones grow up watching their parents. Parents are like their role model, so I believe this is a good long term solution. However, in one of the articles I spotted a not so great news, “One in three parents do not talk to their children about the dangers of alcohol, making underage drinking the "forgotten factor" threatening young people's safety, according to new research published today.” It makes no sense because adults, especially parents feel that they should talk to their youngsters about the severity of alcohol but in actual fact, not a lot of parents are putting this on action. To add more, the video I posted with the essay will be referred to what will be mentioned now. In the video, they declare words like "In less than four years, I'll start going to parties where I'll be drinking alcohol," Plus, another girl announces that before she turns 15 she will be drinking at a party and a boy will pressure her for sex. This is not all, a boy calmly speaks that he will soon be at his first gig, and we assume he would be drinking by watching the whole campaign, where he will then be given drugs by an older boy. This is a campaign run by ad agency Wieden & Kennedy London, to warn the parents that if they do not take any actions such as talking to them about it now, their children will turn out not how they wanted them to be. "Children as young as 13 are often already drinking at parties and coming across some grown up decisions," said Paul Jordan and Angus Macadam, creative directors at W&K. "This campaign is a reminder that good decision are harder to make when you have been drinking." (Guardian) Also it is smart to keep in mind that instead of stigmatizing alcohol and trying to scare people into abstinence, we need to recognize that it is not alcohol itself but rather the abuse of alcohol that is the problem. Additionally, police officers should do a though check on teenagers’ facebook pages where they allow users to hide their indiscretions such as drinking pictures.
