Many communities are hard at work shaping a response to the problem of underage drinking.
Of particular concern is the number of adolescents who drive while under the influence of alcohol and other drugs. Education programs implemented in schools often yield encouraging but limited results. Many youthful offenders, undeterred by ineffective or nonexistent enforcement and apparently unfazed by the potential life-threatening and legal consequences of their actions, continue to engage in dangerous and delinquent behavior, including impaired driving. More than 35 percent of motor vehicle fatalities of individuals 15 to 20 years of age are alcohol related, and in 1997, that meant 2,209 youth died in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes. That Work describes the juvenile DUI problem and presents the case for building a comprehensive criminal justice response to juvenile impaired driving.