New Laws Are Passed For Underage Drinking

One thing that needs to be taken care of in this country is the severity of underage teen drinking and driving. If one teen has a swig of beer and gets behind the wheel, and another can barely walk, each should be punished accordingly. The good news is that the government has met and voted to increase the penalties for underage drunk driving.

In some states, having alcohol in your car while driving could land you in jail up to 12 months and slap you with a $3,000 dollar fine. However, some states don't put underage drinking in Class 1 misdemeanor. The legislature that was currently passed made all states charge a Class 1 while driving intoxicated. This is whats considered 'zero tolerance'. So in other words, any teen that drinks and drives and his or her blood alcohol is .o2 or higher will be charged.

One other benefit of this new law is the fact that when teens get arrested for a DUI or DWI their license will be suspended and they may have to do some sort of community service to pay for the crime. One of the main goals of this new law is to prevent other young teen drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel.

If you are a parent and suspect that your teen is drinking, talk to them about the dangers of driving while intoxicated. Also, make sure you share with them the dangers of drinking while going through puberty, and the negative affects it can have on the body. When your teen asks to go to a party make sure you find out if parents will be present. More likely than not, teen parties will have alcohol and some will try to get behind the wheel.