If you are a parent who is a Baby Boomer or from Generation X, you can be glad that your teenage son or daughter is driving during an era where there are less teenage drunk drivers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the percentage of high school students who drink and drive has dropped by 54% since 1991. Although that is encouraging news, the number of teens that drink and drive today is still too high.

The CDC reports that:

• 1 in 10 teenagers drink and drive,
• In 2011, nearly 1,000,000 teenagers drank and drive,
• 85% of the teens who admitted to drinking and driving in the past month said they binge drink, which is 5 or more drinks within a few hours,
• Teens are 3 times more likely to be killed in a fatal crash than experienced drivers, and
• Drivers between the ages of 16 and 20 are 17 times more likely to die in a car accident when their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is .08% vs. when they are not under the influence.

What Parents Can Do to Help

If you have a teenage son or daughter, you are not powerless. Research has shown that the key factors that help reduce teenage drinking and driving include: parental involvement, graduated driver's license programs, and zero tolerance laws.

Teenage drinking and driving may have dropped by more than half since 1991, but something more can be done. According to the CDC, high school students drink and drive about 2.4 million times each month.

Parents, please instill in your teen that they should never drink and drive, and teach them to refuse to ride in a car with a friend who has been drinking. Make sure that your teen never texts while driving and always wears a seatbelt.

If your teen was arrested for DUI or DWI, contact a DUI defense attorney in this directory immediately to protect your teen's rights and their future.