Colonel Kenneth L. Morckel
Superintendent
Ohio State Highway Patrol
The month of May brings with it special times for Ohio teens, most notably proms and graduations. These upcoming weeks should be times for celebrations. Unfortunately, the celebrations all too often end in tragedy.
Underage drinking and driving is always a concern. During the next few weeks Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers will be doing their part to prevent tragedies during prom and graduation season, but they can’t do it alone.
Parents, don’t wait too long to talk with your kids.
If you think this issue is not important, and underage drinking and driving does not have severe consequences, you are absolutely wrong.
Statistics show 16-20 year-old drivers are consistently over-represented in Ohio’s fatal crashes.
Here are the facts:
Teens make up seven percent of all of Ohio’s licensed drivers, but account for 16 percent of drivers in all crashes and over 19 percent of drivers in fatal crashes.
Drinking and driving teens are at fault in fatal crashes in nearly all cases.
Approximately 15 percent of fatal crashes involving 16-20-year-old drivers of passenger vehicles are alcohol-related.
Seven out of 10 drivers between 16-20-years old killed in alcohol-related crashes had BAC levels of .10 and higher.
Alcohol is involved in one out of every four fatal crashes in Ohio.
Drivers 16-20-years old are twice as likely as the general population to be killed in a traffic crash.
Motor vehicle crashes nationwide are historically among the leading cause of death for teenagers.
As a part of the statewide Ohio Department of Public Safety None for Under 21 campaign, troopers are visiting local schools and conducting safety presentations to reinforce what we call consequence education. A focus of the campaign is reminding teens, and their parents, that it is illegal to purchase or consume alcoholic beverages prior to reaching age 21.
Troopers will first attempt to educate, but are committed to high visibility enforcement in an effort to apprehend those who choose to drive impaired.
The None for Under 21 campaign also focuses on penalties for Operating a Motor Vehicle After Underage Consumption (OMVAUC) and the use of fake identification to purchase alcohol.
In addition to a DUI charge for those who test .10 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or above, law enforcement officers in Ohio can file charges against any driver under age 21 who has a BAC of at least .02 percent but less than .10 percent.
Teens convicted of operating a motor vehicle after underage consumption face a license suspension of between 60-days and two years. The courts may also commit teens to as many as three days in a certified alcohol and drug addiction program.
Additionally, four points are assessed to the violator’s driving record, and a remedial driving course which includes instruction in the area of alcohol and drugs as related to the operation of a motor vehicle, must be completed before a drivers license will be reissued.
A person under the age of 21 who presents a false, fictitious, or altered ID or driver license when purchasing alcohol also incurs severe penalties.
A first offense results in a mandatory fine of $250-$1,000 and up to six months in jail. A second offense carries a mandatory fine of $500-$1,000 and jail time up to six months and a possible 60-day license suspension. Teens that commit third and subsequent offenses face a mandatory fine of $500-$1,000 and jail time up to six months, a 90-day license suspension with an option of community service, and a license suspension until age 21.
This is a time in the lives of teens which should be joyous, but can quickly turn tragic when wrong decisions are made. These are preventable tragedies, and everyone must work hard to reach teens one way or another.
I urge parents and teens to join the Patrol this prom and graduation season in making it a time of safe celebration, and not one filled with tragedy.
Parents, don’t wait too long to talk with your kids.