Don’t take the risk of being intoxicated behind the wheel this Spring Break. Drinking and driving is a leading cause for death on the roadway during this holiday.

The legal intoxication level in Texas is 0.10. For example, if you weigh 120 lbs., drinking three 12 oz. beers within a two hour period should give you a blood alcohol level of .05.  If you consume four drinks in a two hour period, your driving will be impaired at .05 to .09. After your fifth drink in a two hour

period, you will be legally drunk at .10 and anything beyond that.

During January and February of 1998, the average number of injuries, including fatalities, for 15-to-19-year-olds in motor vehicle traffic accidents was 3,718.  In March of the same year, the number of injuries reported was 4,421, an increase of 703 injuries.

The average number of injuries, including fatalities, for 20-to-24-year-olds during January and February of the same year was 3,466.  In March, the number of injuries reported was 4,096, an increase of 530 injuries.

In 1998, the average number of accidents caused by drivers ages 16 to 24 was 11,623 for the months of January and February.  In March, the number of accidents caused by 16-to-24-year-old drivers was 13,234, an increase of 1,611.

 

Over the past ten years, there has been a steady decline in the number of alcohol-related motor vehicle deaths in the youth population aged 15-20 years.  However, this number has begun to rise.
 
A recent study by the American Academy of Pediatrics revealed that 30 percent of 16-to-19-year-olds drink at least six drinks per outing. More than 50 percent consumed two to five drinks an outing.

A 1997 survey by the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse surveyed 2,400 students. Twenty-eight percent said they had driven a vehicle after consuming at least one drink.

Students from Palo Alto College have received tickets for drinking while intoxicated (DWI) or for being a minor in possesion(MIP) of alcohol. These students  knew the consequences they would  face when consuming alcohol and driving.

One Palo Alto student who was out drinking 40’s at a local night club said, “We were parking the car and we threw out the bottles. Some undercovers pulled up and asked for our ID’s.  I got two tickets: one for consumption and one for MIP.”
Another Palo Alto student  said, “We came from a club where everyone got blasted.  I was the designated driver, but I drank anyway. I had two lives in my hands when I was driving, and I could have ruined everything.”

Many times intoxication causes memory lapses. “My friend borrowed his mom’s mini-van,” said another  student.  “We decided to go bowling and we ended up drinking a couple of pitchers.  On the way home, everything seemed fine. When we woke up the next morning, we went to go check out the car and one of the tires was torn-up and the passenger-side mirror was gone.”

On a first offense for a DWI, the charge is $1,000 and the suspension of your license for 90 days. A second offense will get you six months probation.

“I know that we have had problems during the breaks when students have been in accidents,” said Graciela Arizpe-Ortiz, R.N., the Palo Alto  College Health Center  Coordinator. “ The reason I know is because the students come in and ask about their student insurance."

If you are going to drink this Spring Break, designate a driver, call a cab, call a friend or call your parents.  You may save your life as well as those whose lives you may be risking. And remember, it is possible to have a good time without drinking.