Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words, and although it might have happened over the pond in Australia, the image of a car sitting deep in the clear water of a river isn’t one you could soon forget.
How did it get there? According to local police, a teen was drinking and driving when he crashed into an irrigation channel and the car ended up at the bottom of the river. Although he lived to tell the tale and see his court date, other teens haven’t been so lucky this summer.
A Millbury, Massachusetts’s teenager is facing driving under the influence (DUI) charges after he crashed into a tree. He was air lifted to the hospital with undetermined injuries and police have said he’ll be charged with DUI, negligent driving, speeding, and failing to wear seat belt.
He’s not the only teen in hot water. A New Jersey teen was charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI) twice in a 10-hour period. The 19 year old crashed into a pole and was charged with DWI of suspected narcotics. Incredibly, 10 hours later he was in another car crash while sitting in traffic caused by his first crash. That’s not all either—his mom had allowed him to get behind the wheel and drive, so she was charged with allowing a person to operate a vehicle impaired.
All of these cases from the past week are reminders of how easy it is to lose control and crash when you’re drinking and driving. Young people who drink alcohol are inexperienced with drinking and inexperienced behind the wheel, and when you combine the two you can get fatal results.
If you need help talking to your teen about the dangers of drinking and driving, check out the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) page on underage drinking.