Underage drinking is a serious problem in the United States. Alcohol is the most widely used substance of abuse among America’s youth, and poses enormous health and safety risks. Almost 2.3 million Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 report drinking alcohol each month, it can be difficult for teens to resist the allure of alcohol. About 6.7 million youth in the same age group say they’ve tried alcohol at least once in their life. Which means more than 9 percent of teens drink once a month and almost a third of U.S. teens have tried alcohol before they turn 18. Underage drinkers consume more drinks per drinking occasion than most adult drinkers. Each year, about 5,000 underage drinkers die as a result of drinking at a young age; this includes about 1,900 deaths from car crashes, 1,600 from homicides, 300 from suicide, as well as hundreds from other injuries like falls, burns, and drownings. …show more content…
Here are a few.. Possession, purchase, or consumption of alcohol by an individual under the age of 21 can get 3-month suspension of driving privileges, 6 months for first conviction, 1 year for second conviction, and license revoked for subsequent convictions. Transporting alcohol under the age of 21 is illegal as well. You can be charged with a maximum $1,000 fine. For the driver, the penalty is mandatory driver’s license suspension for one year. If it happens again you get a mandatory revocation for a year. For a 1st offense when you underage drink and drive you’ll get three month suspension of driving privileges or a six month suspension with refusal of alcohol testing. For a 2nd offense you get a one year suspension of driver’s license or 2 year suspension with refusal of testing. Factors that can influence the punishment include the offender’s age, whether the minor has a history of minor-in- possession, whether the minor was legally intoxicated at the time of the offense, or any other past illegal