The issue of teen drug use and driving affects me very strongly both as a Seattle car accident lawyer, and as a parent of two. Although my boys are still thankfully many years away from being able to drive, every parent dreads the day they give their kids a key to 4,000 lbs. of sheet metal. The fact of the matter is that the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 16 and 19 is car accidents. There are obviously a lot of variables that go into that statistic, but there are certain causes such as alcohol and drugs that play a big role. Drugs, however, are usually overlooked when educating teenagers about driving safety, but they can be just as harmful to a driver as alcohol.

The problem is that even when teenagers think they know that drugs will alter their mind in a way that will affect their driving skills, they probably only consider harder drugs to be an issue. As parents, we need to understand that drug problems with teens today are not generally related to cocaine or heroin like in the past, but rather prescription drugs and marijuana instead. Prescription drug overuse or use of any kind when not prescribed are topics that are hardly mentioned in drug education, but affect many kids negatively nonetheless. I believe it would come as a surprise to most parents that according to a 2009 survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of teens said they have taken a prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription. This number is higher than it ever has been, and is a problem that is ultimately affecting the fact that 5,000 kids between 16 and 20 die every year from car accidents.

So what can we, as parents, do to help our kids learn about the dangers of drugs and driving? Well first, we need to educate ourselves and know exactly what drugs teenagers are using. The first drug that we need to understand is marijuana. This drug is nothing new, but polls show that around 12% of high school seniors have driven while under its influence. Weed negatively affects a driver’s safety by decreasing attentiveness, altering perception of time and speed, and reducing the ability to draw on knowledge gained from past experiences. Other drugs that teens are using that hurt their ability to drive can be legally prescribed, and are relatively well known by most people. While they serve their purpose when used properly, they can be abused, and impair a driver on the road.

Some examples of these prescription drugs that you may have heard of are OxyContin, Vicodin, Demerol, Valium, Xanax, Ritalin and Adderall. These all have valuable uses, but for people that overuse what they have, or use when they don’t need to, they can be deadly. Teens are especially susceptible to making these mistakes and even more prone to making the often fatal mistake of driving after doing so. The key to cutting down on this growing problem is education. Both schools and parents can address this issue with their teenagers to let them know that doing these drugs – when not prescribed – is illegal and incredibly dangerous. With that in mind, we can pass the message along that if they know of anybody who does this, that they should never let them drive under its influence.

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