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Data show significant decline in youth drinking and driving
Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health show a significant drop in self-reported drinking and driving among young drivers over the past decade-plus. Reported this week in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, an article stated that among drivers ages 16 to 20, the prevalence of self-reported drinking and driving decreased from 16.2% in 2002 to 6.6% in 2014.
In the age 21-to-25 group, reports of drinking and driving dropped from 29.1% in 2002 to 18.1% in 2014. There also were declines in both age brackets in incidents of driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana combined.
“The decline in driving under the influence of alcohol, and alcohol and marijuana combined, among youth and young adults is encouraging, and may in part be due to greater outreach and law enforcement efforts,” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) acting administrator Kana Enomoto said in a Dec. 10 news release.
