The Arkansas Underage Drinking. Adult Consequences. campaign is a comprehensive underage drunk-driving enforcement and prevention campaign targeting underage drinkers AND
parents who supply alcohol to teens. Our message is simple... Underage Drinking. Adult Consequences.
• Each year thousands of teens are killed or injured in traffic crashes as a result of underage drinking.
• During 2006, 7,643 15- to 20-year-old drivers and motorcycle operators were involved in fatal traffic crashes across the Nation, 1,377 (18 percent) of whom had a blood alcohol
concentration (BAC) of .08 or higher, despite the fact that it is illegal for teens to drive after drinking any alcohol.
• Nationally, 64 percent of all drivers or motorcycle operators ages 15 to 20 who were involved in fatal traffic crashes and had a BAC of .08 or higher died as a result of the crash.
• Local community leaders, concerned citizens, and local law enforcement in Arkansas are joining to crack down on underage drinking.
• Teens and parents both need a strong reminder – underage drinking is illegal and can have disastrous consequences.
• The Arkansas Underage Drinking. Adult Consequences. campaign is a comprehensive underage drunk-driving enforcement and prevention campaign targeting underage
drinkers AND parents who supply alcohol to teens.
• Local law enforcement agencies in Arkansas will be out in force targeting underage drinkers through stepped-up compliance checks, saturation and party patrols,
and watching for parents who provide alcohol to teens.
• This campaign reminds irresponsible parents that it is "time to grow up." Giving teens alcohol is not only wrong, it is against the law. Any adult found supplying
or assisting an underage individual in possessing or consuming alcohol can be fined ANY amount or be imprisoned up to ten days. The law also mandates that the individual’s driver’s license be revoked for one year.
• Several hard-hitting advertisements have been created for the Underage Drinking. Adult Consequences. campaign and will be deployed to help clearly convey to parents
that it is not only wrong, but also illegal to supply alcohol to anyone underage.
• The bold advertising messages that advise parents it is "time to grow up" are not intended to speak to responsible, law-abiding parents who are already doing the right
thing, but rather to those parents who still don’t get it and for some reason think it is okay to host parties where underage drinking occurs or to supply alcohol to their teenagers and their teenagers’ friends.
• Violators of underage drinking laws often face a trip to jail, the loss of their driver’s license, and dozens of other unanticipated expenses including attorney fees, court costs, and other fines. Plus, there is the added embarrassment, humiliation, and potential loss and consequence related to academic eligibility, college acceptance, scholarship awards, and more.
• In Arkansas, any individual under the age of twenty-one found to be in possession (i.e., purchasing, attempting to purchase, possessing, or consuming) alcohol can be fined up to $500.
• Arkansas law requires that any underage person found supplying or assisting another underage individual in possessing or consuming alcohol can be fined up to $500 as well.
• Too many people still don’t understand that alcohol and driving don’t mix. Impaired driving is no accident – nor is it a victimless crime.
• Most of those killed in alcohol-related crashes involving teen drivers are the young drivers themselves and their passengers.
• Throughout the year, local law enforcement will continue to watch for underage drinkers and adult providers– and the chances of getting caught have never been greater.
• Remember, giving teens alcohol is not only wrong – it’s against the law. Underage Drinking. Adult Consequences.
• For more information, visit www.nhtsa.gov
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