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Statistics

In 2007, the average age at first alcohol use among recent initiates aged 12 to 49 was 16.8 years, similar to the corresponding 2006 estimate (16.6 years). up>[ref.]

Underage alcohol use is more likely to kill young people than all illegal drugs combined. up>[ref.]

In a survey, 33 percent of 6th to 12th graders said their parents never, seldom, or sometimes set clear rules for them and almost half said their parents never, seldom, or sometimes discipline them when they break the rules. up>[ref.]

Over a half (53.4 percent) of the current underage alcohol users drank at someone else's home the last time they used alcohol and another 30.3 percent drank in their own home. up>[ref.]

Family factors, such as parent-child relationships, discipline methods, communication, monitoring and supervision, and parental involvement, also exert a significant influence on youthful alcohol use. up>[ref.]

Between 1985 and 1996, there were 5,555 child passenger deaths involving a drinking driver. Of these deaths, 3,556 or 64 percent occurred while the child was riding with a drinking driver. up>[ref.]

Of those 1,670 traffic fatalities of children age 14 and younger, 245 (15%) occurred in drunk driving crashes. Out of those 245 deaths, more than half (130) were occupants of a vehicle with a driver who had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher. up>[ref.]

Only 31 percent of parents of 15- to 16-year-olds believe their child had a drink in the past year, compared to the 60 percent of teens in that age group who reported drinking. up>[ref.]

Youth who reported that a parent or a friend’s parent had provided alcohol at a party within the past year reported drinking more on their last drinking occasion and were twice as likely to have consumed alcohol within the past 30 days and to have engaged in binge drinking. up>[ref.]