Could Social Host Laws Prevent Fatal Alcohol - related Car Accidents Among Teens?

Could Social Host Laws Prevent Fatal Alcohol - related Car Accidents Among Teens?

In 2010, slightly more than half of Americans aged 12 or older surveyed by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Misuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported to have sick of at number one one alcoholic beverage within the past 30 days. Besides, almost a distance of respondents uttered that they had engaged in binge drinking.
While teenagers are susceptible to the same effects of alcohol consumption as adults—delayed reaction epoch and impaired perception and coordination—their deprivation of experience with operating a motor vehicle makes them more likely to crash while drinking and driving. In 2009, 30 percent of the drivers aged 16 - 20 second childhood ancient who were killed in motor vehicle collisions had a Blood Alcohol Content ( BAC ) of 0. 08 percent of higher, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Besides, drivers in this age cartel with BACs of 0. 05 - 0. 08 percent are much more likely than sober teenage drivers to be killed in single - vehicle accidents.
Studies have indicated that teenagers are dawn to drink at younger ages than in the past. Over the average age of a teen’s first drink in 2003 was 14, it was 17 ฝ in 1965, according to the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. In its 2007 report on underage alcohol use, the agency indicated that approximately 50 percent of adolescents had prostrated alcohol by the foster of 15.
In bag to these statistics and fatal traffic collisions in innate communities, cities and the state of California have enacted laws to grip adults explainable for providing alcohol to minors. Recently, Irvine joined the Orange County cities of Assignment Viejo and Laguna Hills when it passed an directive that will conclusion in fines of between $750 and $3, 000 for lawn social hosts who accommodate alcoholic beverages to or remit their consumption by inadequacy attendants of social crowd amenable on indicative property. After a law passed in 2010, if a blowout host furnishes alcohol to a minor and that minor hence causes a fatal or injury accident, the victims may take civil actions against the host.
Considering that social gatherings involving minors where alcohol is contemporary are more likely to materialize in a private residence than a bar or public area, social host laws have convincing potential for reducing fatal and injury car accidents, explains a lawyer. Habituated that the laws in Orange County and throughout the state have only recently been enacted, it may take a few caducity until the impact of them is fully realized.