According to Colorado Springs Law, traffic fatalities for teen drivers (15-19) saw a 53% increase in 2023, and it has been reported that those statistics are only getting worse.
While everybody knows the possible consequences of impaired driving, most think it is something that would never happen to them. Unfortunately, this is not the case for some of our Lancers.
Junior Jocelyn Aragon stated, “My views on impaired teen driving are that it is an unnecessary risk that people put themselves and others in. Not only does this risk affect friends and family if one is lost, but it has also affected me through the loss of my friend Reagan.”
Another Lancer, junior Riley Simmet-Cole, had an extremely startling first-hand experience with the potential outcomes of being in a vehicle with an impaired driver.
After hanging out with a couple of friends on Halloween night, Riley got into a car with a driver who had been drinking. The group was headed to a friend’s house when the driver started speeding and failed to see a T-turn, and crashed the car.
Riley was the first in the group to wake up after the crash. After being reunited with her mother, she was taken to the hospital because of severe back pain. Initially, after an X-ray, it was reported that there were no injuries from the crash, but recently, after an MRI, it was discovered that she had a loss of alignment in her back, and her spine is tilted to the right.
Additionally, Riley still struggles with PTSD after the accident, which goes to show that the effects of something like a car accident affect people not only physically, but mentally too.
“Moral of the story, do not get into the car with someone under the influence because you never know what that can get you into. 70% of the time, you will get into a car crash or into a really bad situation.”
Some of the leading factors in these fatalities are impaired driving, which accounts for more than 19% of accidents, distracted driving with cell phone use, careless driving, and lack of seatbelt use, which is the cause for over 51% of accidents.
Additionally, driving drowsily is a common cause of accidents amongst teenage drivers, and alongside distracted driving, it probably occurs the most for teenagers when driving.
Results from a survey sent to the students of Liberty High School show that the consequences of driving impaired are not common knowledge.
A question from the survey distributed asked, “Up to how long can someone serve in jail for impaired driving in Colorado?” Out of the 90 responses to the survey, only a mere 22 answered this question correctly.
The majority of the students who took the survey scored a one or a two out of five. Only four students got a five out of five on the survey.
The legal consequences of impaired driving are extremely important to consider before making the potentially fatal decision to drive under the influence.
In an article from Ramos Law, it is stated that, “Vehicular homicide involving DUI is classified as a Class 3 felony in Colorado under C.R.S. § 18-3-106. This serious charge carries potential prison sentences of 4-12 years and fines up to $750,000 for those convicted.”
Furthermore, the legal limit for any individual under the age of 21 is actually 0.02%, not the nationwide standard of 0.08% for people 21+.
