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DRUGS and DRINKING...Sad Facts and Real Stats
Thousands of young people die each year on our roadways because
good decision-making is obscured by drug and/or alcohol use. It's
incredibly sad, both for the lives wasted and those left behind.
We've seen roadside memorials and read tributes to smart young
people who made bad decisions.
Each of you has heard the story and knows it's illegal to drink
under 21, and that drugs aren't legal at any age without a doctor's
prescription. We'd like to think that alone would convince you,
but we know better. So let's try these facts instead:
*Car crash victims who have alcohol in their systems at
the time of the crash suffer worse injuries, and are more likely to sustain
a severe injury, than those who haven't been drinking, even factoring
in use of seat belts and safety features such as airbags.
*Young women, because of their body type and size, are
disproportionately injured in car crashes. 20-year-old women are 31% more likely
than men of the same age to be killed in crashes of similar severity.
*Spinal cord injuries are a frequent cause of death and
long-term disability. Car crashes account for about 42% of all spinal cord
injuries, and are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury
among young people.
Science tells us that women process alcohol differently than
men; smaller amounts of alcohol are more intoxicating for women
regardless of their size. Three physiologic differences may explain
this:
*Women have less body water than men. When people
drink, alcohol spreads into the water in their bodies. Because women have smaller
amounts of body water to dilute the alcohol, they have higher
concentrations of alcohol in their blood than men have after drinking
identical amounts of alcohol.
*An enzyme that is important in metabolizing or
processing alcohol works differently in women than in men. In men, the enzyme, called
alcohol dehydrogenase, breaks down much of the alcohol in the
stomach so that less of it enters the circulatory system. In women,
the enzyme is less active.
*Changing hormone levels during the menstrual cycle may
affect the rate of alcohol metabolism in women.
Keep yourself safe on the roads. Improve the quality of you life,
and of the lives around you, by playing by the rules. Don’t
drink or do drugs and drive.
For more information on improving driver safety strategies and
car care awareness, visit www.s2w.org
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