Therapist Unlimited Blog

The number of college students killed due to drunk driving is rising in the United States of America.
Based on the data gathered by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) it was discovered that drinking-related, accidental deaths among 18- to 24-year-old students have been creeping upward from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005.
According to the data from NIAAA, the proportion of students who reported recent heavy episodic drinking (sometimes called "binge drinking") rose from roughly 42 percent to 45 percent and the proportion who admitted to drinking and driving in the past year increased from 26.5 percent to 29 percent.
The recent data already alarmed lead researcher Ralph Hingson, Sc.D., M.P.H., director of the NIAAA’s division of epidemiology and prevention research.

Proper measures should be done to stop the rising number drunk driving deaths among college students.

Hingson explained the data just showed that government and school officials need to work even harder to weed out drinking addiction among the college students to protect their health and well-being.
The lead researcher said government and school officials need to work together to create a comprehensive strategy to address the drinking addiction problem among college students.
The lead researcher added broader legislation should also be undertaken by both Congress and Senate to deter college students from engaging in drinking addiction.
Furthermore, Hingson said state laws that set the legal drinking age at 21 have been credited with reducing alcohol-related road deaths.
He noted, that the increases in heavy episodic drinking, drinking and driving, and alcohol-related deaths were seen among 21- to 24-year-olds, and not 18- to 20-year-olds.