Use of alcohol and other drugs is associated with the leading causes of death and injury among teenagers and young adults. Nationally, nearly 8,800 drinking drivers died in crashes, which killed a total of more than 16,600 people in 2000. Over 2,300 of those drivers were between the ages of 16 and 24. Nationally 26% of all male drivers age 15-20 had been drinking prior to their involvement in a fatal crash. For females, the corresponding figure was 13%. Youth drinking and driving in the United States decreased spectacularly in the past two decades. …
