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Fewer Alaska Teenagers Driving Drunk, While Texting Remains a ProblemEducation is key to keeping impaired teens from getting behind the wheelRelated Content
ANCHORAGE - It seems teenage drivers are getting the messages about being safe on the road. New national data shows a big drop in the number of young people getting behind the wheel after drinking. According to the survey, 6 in 100 Alaska teens drove drunk in the past month. That's half the rate nearly 20 years ago. And it's better than the national rate: 8 in 100. One of the reasons? Education. Justin Freeman works for the State Troopers producing awareness and education videos. "When I started working here, my goal was to make ads that didn't look like they were made by the government, because nobody is going to watch those," Freeman said. According to the latest state survey of high school students, the number of Alaska teens driving while drunk is down by almost half – from 12.3 to 5.6 percent since 1995. Freeman’s latest project is a documentary that troopers and Anchorage police officers will show in classrooms across the city. Some teen drivers say it takes both media and personal conversation to get the message across. Elizabeth Kronz heard it from her English teacher "She was talking more about driving and drinking and what should and shouldn't do in our personal lives," Kronz said. Keeping the attention of students is Freeman's goal. Despite the positive numbers for drunk driving, the message about texting while driving is not working as well. Nationally, 1 out of 3 high school students text or email while driving according to government statistics: a possible subject for a new safety campaign. The number of Alaska youth choosing not to get in a car with an impaired driver has also dropped from 31 percent in 1995 to 18 percent today. |
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Jay Makim said on Saturday, Jun 9 at 11:35 AM
Hi Kate McPhersen Thank you for reporting stories like this which concerns most. It is great to hear your Australian accent. Kids, Teenage, Adults all are usinf cell phones Eat, Drink, Talk, Do Make up, and lots of things while drivinf. I dont think we can just go after Teens. Law or not, it is a Responsibility, when you drive. I am a doctor. Please write me back your response.
93305516Anonymous said on Monday, Jun 11 at 11:08 PM
good - it's cheaper to get a cab in Anchortown and buzz around then to drive drunk...or get a designated driver - all you can eat deal with gas$$ did it when I was young and watched everyone else get arrested except the groups that cabbed or DD..
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