These estimates translate into approximately 15,000 to 25,000 deaths annually involving the irresponsible use of alcohol. The financial costs associated with alcohol related crashes in the United States have been estimated in terms of billions of dollars annually in lost wages, medical expenses, property damage, legal fees, and insurance costs. Of course, there is no way of estimating the emotional costs to individuals who have lost members of their families and friends in alcohol related accidents. It is well known that younger drivers are over-represented in driving fatalities due to drunk driving. My research focuses on changing older adolescent behavior with respect to drunk driving.
Adolescents represent an important target group for several reasons.
First, there is evidence indicating that the leading cause of death among young Americans is alcohol-related traffic accidents. Second, adolescents represent new drivers who are just embarking on a life behind the wheel of an automobile. Thus, the reduction of drunk driving among this demographic group seems important. A review of school based treatments of drunk driving indicates that such treatments are limited in scope. Drunk driving is typically addressed only superficially and in the context of more general lectures on alcohol.