|
Basic InformationMore InformationTestsLatest NewsMarijuana Use Rising Among High School Seniors: Report'Predrinking' Nearly Doubles Booze Consumption: StudyIn Terms of Drinking, the Rich Are Different, Study SaysDelayed Auditory Processing Found in Fetal Alcohol SyndromeHeavy Smokers, Drinkers May Face Pancreatic Cancer Earlier in LifeDrinking, Driving Drops by Half Among Teens: CDCModerate Drinking May Increase Risk of Heart Rhythm Disorder: StudyHealth Tip: Don't Combine Medication and AlcoholWhy Some Mothers (Wrongly) Let Kids Try AlcoholAlcoholism Treatment Saves Families MoneyDoctors Should Screen Adults for Alcohol Misuse, U.S. Panel SaysPrescription Drug Abuse Drops Among U.S. Young AdultsCognitive Ability, Motivation Tied in Addictive BehaviorExtra Steps Urged to Cut Alcohol, Drug Use in Military: ReportQuitting Drinking May Help Alcoholics' Bone Loss'Doctor Shopping' Tied to Fatal Prescription Drug OverdosesHeavy Drinking Linked to Earlier StrokePot Use May Raise Risk of Testicular Cancer: StudyWomen's Brains React Differently Than Men's to Alcoholism, Study FindsHeavy Marijuana Use in Teen Years May Lower IQ LaterPrior Substance Abuse Linked to Opioid Abuse in Young MenTeens Who Drink, Smoke More Likely to Abuse Painkillers: StudyStudy Affirms Marijuana, 'Spice' Harmful in PregnancyBrain Scans May Spot Teens at Risk for Problem DrinkingBooze, Energy Drinks, Casual Sex Combo Common in College: Study'Bath Salts' Demonstrate High Potential for AbuseIllegal 'Bath Salts' Mimic Cocaine in the Brain: StudyEffects of Heavy Alcohol Exposure During Pregnancy EvaluatedHeavy Drinking in Pregnancy Linked to Host of Problems in ChildrenMom's Pot Use Doubles Risk of 'Preemie' Birth: Study'Abuse-Resistant' Oxycontin May Be Driving Addicts to HeroinTeach Prescribers About Dangers of Long-Acting Pain Meds: FDAMethadone for Pain Relief Leading Cause of Fatal Overdoses: CDCSummer Is Peak Time for Teens to Try Drugs, Alcohol: Report40 Million Americans Addicted to Cigarettes, Alcohol or Drugs1 in 10 Fibromyalgia Patients Uses Marijuana to Ease PainGenes May Influence Reactions to PainkillersMore Mental Health Woes in College Kids Who Abuse Prescription DrugsTeen Drinkers May Feel Like Social Outcasts: StudyState Laws Cut Teen Drinking and Driving, Large Study ShowsMental Health Woes Raise Odds for Prescription Painkiller AbuseNeural Link Between Resiliency and Alcohol, Drug Use Identified Questions and AnswersBook ReviewsSelf-Help Groups |
| |
State Laws Cut Teen Drinking and Driving, Large Study Shows
by -- Robert Preidt
Updated: Jun 15th 2012
FRIDAY, June 15 (HealthDay News) -- Two kinds of state laws can help reduce drinking and driving by teens, a large new study finds.
Graduated driver licensing laws limit new drivers to less risky driving situations until they acquire enough skills to become fully licensed. Use-and-lose laws permit the suspension of a teen's driver's license if they are caught using alcohol.
Researchers analyzed the drinking-and-driving behaviors of more than 111,000 males and more than 110,000 females, aged 16 to 17, from data in the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System for 1999 to 2009.
The results were published online June 15, and will appear in the September issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
"The key finding of our study was that states with restrictive [graduated driver licensing] laws and use-and-lose laws had less youth who reported driving after drinking any alcohol or riding in a car with a driver who had been drinking alcohol," study corresponding author Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, a research assistant professor in the department of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said in a journal news release.
"In other words, a student in a state with the strongest [graduated driver licensing] and use-and-lose laws would be approximately half as likely as a student in a state with the weakest laws to drive after drinking," she added.
"Given that many states have already adopted restrictive [graduated driver licensing] and use-and-lose policies over the past decade, we were pleased that our findings support the strengthening of ... laws that is already occurring," Cavazos-Rehg said. "We hope our findings provide evidence for adopting and/or strengthening [graduated driver licensing] and use-and-lose laws to those states not already involved in these efforts."
Teens make up less than 5 percent of licensed drivers in the United States, but account for about 20 percent of all traffic crashes, the researchers noted.
"These two laws, if they are strong, can have a significant effect on teen behavior and can save lives," James Fell, a senior research scientist with the Impaired Driving Center at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation in Calverton, Md., said in the news release.
"Parents and clinicians should reinforce the awareness of teens to these laws and work to get weak laws strengthened," added Fell, who was not involved in the study.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about impaired driving.
This article: Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. |
