Governor's 2007 Prom Party Competition

FACT SHEET

--Traffic crashes are the number one killer of teens.

--One-third of teen traffic deaths are alcohol-related.

--More than 500 people die in Georgia every year due to alcohol related highway fatalities.

--There were 229 crash fatalities among Georgians 16 through 20 years of age in 2005.

--Drinking alcohol leads to a loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses, and even blackouts.

--The legal blood alcohol content for a driver under the age of 21 is .02 compared to .08 for drivers age 21 and older.

--Many more teens use marijuana than any other illicit drug by far.

--Marijuana use can make it difficult to judge distances and react to signals and sounds on the road.

--In a recent study, researchers found that of 150 reckless drivers who were tested for drugs at the arrest scene, 33 percent tested positive for marijuana and 12 percent tested positive for both marijuana and cocaine. Data have also shown that while smoking marijuana, people show the same lack of coordination on standard "drunk driver" tests as do people who have had too much to drink.

--If under the age of 21, DUI in Georgia is a serious business. If the driver's blood-alcohol content is .08 or more, they will receive a mandatory jail term of not less than 24 hours, community service of not less than 40 hours, and suspension of their license for 12 months with no re-instatement prior to the end of the suspension period.

TO VIEW A PDF OF THE FACT SHEET, CLICK HERE