world for you or your teen. The District Attorney’s office has programs to help your teen, if they are arrested. There are several different steps that you will have to go through if they are arrested included court dates, community service and perhaps jail time. Be supportive of your child during this time—but share the consequences now. Remind them that any drunk driver who causes an accident which kills another person faces up to 30 years in prison.
could keep a teen from getting into the college of their dreams or could keep them from a job. Also, don’t forget to talk to your teen about the effects of illegal drugs or prescription narcotics and driving.
T
Teen Drunk Driving BY THE CHILDREN’S COALITION FOR NORTHEAST LOUISIANA
een drivers are 3 times more likely than more experienced drivers to be in a fatal crash. Drinking any alcohol greatly increases this risk for teens. In Louisiana, 10 percent of the drivers involved in fatal crashes were young drivers (age 20 or younger). This is significant, because drivers aged 15 to 20 make up 9.4 percent of all licensed drivers in the state. Of the 75 fatal crashes involving drivers aged 15 to 20 that were tested, 39 percent (29) were alcohol involved. Novice drivers under 20 years of age have the highest crash risk of any age group on the road. While many teens crash because of risk-taking, most crashes occur because the teen behind the wheel does not have the skills or experience needed to recognize a hazard and take corrective action. Senior Trooper Michael Reichardt has been employed with the State of Louisiana since December of 2003. Prior to that, he worked for Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office for 1 ½ years. He has worked in many departments within the State Police, from a road Trooper to Narcotics and to his current position the Public Information Officer (PIO) for Troop F.
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As PIO, he handles all media relations and any presentations and safety discussions requested by different organizations. He partners regularly with the Children’s Coalition on Young Driver Highway Safety Training events and Prescription Take Back Days. Q: What is the most important thing to know about drunk driving? The most important thing that people should know about drunk driving is that if you are impaired and get behind the wheel, the chances of you being involved in a crash significantly increase. These crashes can lead to severe injuries or even death. This is true especially for teens; traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers. When alcohol is a factor, the chances dramatically increase. Drinking and driving can be a deadly combination. Q: Why is important for parents to talk to the teens about drunk driving? As a parent myself, I think this is one of the most important conversations that you can have with your teen. Research suggests that teens may interpret a parent’s failure to talk about underage drinking as indifference, making them more likely to use alcohol. Most teens don’t think of drinking as a problem; they are just with their friends having a good time. They don’t think about what a fatal crash or an arrest will mean for the rest of their life. Something as simple as a DWI arrest
Teen drivers are 3 times more likely than more experienced drivers to be in a fatal crash
Q: What is our community doing to address the problem of teen drunk driving? A: Sudden Impact is a statewide comprehensive injury prevention program for adolescents in partnership with the Louisiana State Police. We hold reenactments of alcohol-related crashes at area high schools and follow up with information. I also work with the Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana Young Driver Program to promote awareness and educate young drivers about the dangers of impaired and distracted driving. Using a state-of-the-art driving simulator, teens are immersed in realistic scenarios of high risk driving behavior that can encourage better driving choices in the future. Presentations take place in high schools located in Ouachita, Lincoln and Union Parishes and three colleges – Louisiana Tech University, University of Louisiana – Monroe and Grambling State University.
RESOURCES
Parents Are the Key, a campaign from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), helps parents, pediatricians and communities keep teen drivers safe on the road. You can download free materials, like a parent/teen driving agreement, and tips about “What Parents Can Do” to make sure yourteen doesn’t become a statistic. https://www.cdc.gov/ParentsAreTheKey/
Mary Barrios, Healthy Living Coordinator at the Children’s Coalition, works with Susan Thompson and Troop F to bring the Northeast Louisiana Young Driver Program to area schools. She also heads up U-ACT a community-based substance abuse prevention program in Union Parish. Go to www. childrenscoalition.org to learn more about programs like Young Driver program, U-ACT and the upcoming Dia de la Familia October 13 in Lake D’Arbonne State Park.
Q: What should my teen do or say if they suspect their driver is drunk? Get out! I talk to teens all the time about what to do, and tell them to make sure they have a plan in case something like this happens. Most teens don’t go to a party to drink alcohol, but if they happen to be pressured into drinking, they may be too embarrassed to call a parent for help. Have a “code word” for your teen to use when they call or text. Something simple like a “toothache” or “headache.” Just know if your teen contacts you and says your “code word” that you need to go get them, because they trust you and need you. This is not the time to interrogate your child. As a parent you will probably be upset and you may say or do things that could make them not call the next time. Q: What should I do or say if my child is arrested for drunk driving? In Louisiana, drivers under 21 years old found to have a blood alcohol level (BAC) of at least 0.02% will be charged with DWI—this is lower than the adult BAC of 0.08. On average, one standard drink of alcohol will increase the average person’s BAC to 0.02% or 0.05%. As a State Trooper, I have arrested several teens for DWI. Just remember, it is not the end of the WWW.BAYOULIFEMAG.COM | SEPTEMBER 2018 117