What Are Parents Doing to Stop Drinking and Driving?
On any given day there are 2 million drunk drivers on America's roads, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Drinking and driving can lead to tragic consequences for both the drunk driver and other drivers on the road. No parent wants to receive the dreaded phone call that informs them their child has been injured or killed by a drunk driver or that their child was the drunk driver that caused the injury or death.
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Talking About Drinking and Driving
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Talking to your children about drinking and driving is a simple step that can be very effective at stopping them from driving under the influence of alcohol. Teens who consistently hear a strong no-use message from their parents are less likely to drink. Parents stop drinking and driving by having an ongoing conversation with their teens about the effects of drinking and driving and parental expectations about abstaining from alcohol. By setting clear rules about alcohol and enforcing them consistently, parents are often able to prevent drunk driving.
Recognizing and Preventing Situations
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Parents prevent drunk driving when they know where their children are and what they are doing. By asking where they are going, what they will be doing there and who will be with them, parents make children aware that they will be held accountable for their behavior. Parents also can prevent drinking and driving by encouraging their children to avoid situations such as house parties where drunk driving is likely to occur. When teens do go to house parties, parents should regularly check in with their teens via cell phone and insist on speaking to an adult who is supervising the party. Parents can further prevent drinking and driving by not allowing teens to consume alcohol at home and by hiring babysitters whenever they leave town so their teens can't throw unsupervised parties.
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Providing Alternatives
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One way parents are working to stop drinking and driving is by providing alternatives to the behavior. For example, parents volunteer to throw alcohol-free after-parties for events such as graduation and prom night where drunk driving is more likely to occur. Parents also are stopping drinking and driving by giving their teen the ability to call them for a ride when the teen has been drinking or is with friends who have been drinking. Teens are likely to drive drunk if they are afraid of the consequences of calling their parents; however, they are more likely to call their parents for a ride if they feel it is a safe alternative and won't lead to punishment. Parents who promise to pick up their teens from a potentially dangerous situation and save discussion about the situation until a later, calmer time prevent drinking and driving that might otherwise occur.
Getting Support from the Community
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Parents are often responsible for rallying their communities to prevent drinking and driving. For example, parents who have been involved in a drunk driving accident, or who know someone who has been in a drunk driving accident, can share their story with their community to encourage social change. Parents also can petition liquor stores, supermarkets or restaurants that sell alcohol, promising not to patronize places that serve minors. Parents also have the ability to encourage high schools to discuss the dangers of drinking and driving. Since many drunk drivers are not young people, parents also are working to prevent drinking and driving in the population as a whole by encouraging initiatives such as designated driver programs and in-car breathalyzers for repeat DUI or DWI offenders.
Using Resources
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There are many resources that are helping parents stop drinking and driving. Parents can donate to or volunteer for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. MADD also provides a handbook and Web resource called Power of Parents that offers suggestions for discussing drinking and driving with teens. The Students Against Drunk Driving "Contract for Life" is a two-way contract in which teens promise to call for a ride home if they or a friend have been drinking as long as the parents promise to discuss the alcohol consumption at a later, more relaxed time. States also provide resources to prevent drinking and driving. For instance, South Dakota offers Parents Matter, a website with tips and advice that parents can use to talk to their teens about alcohol and to stop drinking and driving.
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