Why Adolescents Are More Susceptible To Drunk Driving

June 7, 2014 by Arkady Bukh

New res earch findings support something parents have long been aware of–teenagers and young adults are particularly susceptible to impulsivity and poor judgment. Add alcohol to this observation and you have a prescription for disaster. Is this lack of perspective because young people are unaware of consequences, unaware of their limitations and abilities, or is it simply a matter inexperience? Research from the National Institute of Mental Health has found that the impaired judgment of adolescent behavior is a result of a brain that is still developing–especially in the cortical areas associated with self-control, judgment, and controlling emotions. Not until full adulthood in the mid to late twenties is the brain completely wired for more efficient, rational processing of information.

It’s not surprising that researchers have also found that alcohol effects adolescents differently then adults. This natural deficit in judgment is nowhere more apparent–or frightening–then when young people, after drinking alcohol, get behind the wheel of a car. With reckless disregard for life and limb, the emotional thrill of fast driving, impressing peers, and high times can be an irresistible impulse–an impulse that can prove deadly! There can be no question that when it comes to driving, every young adult needs more than their impaired perceptions to decide whether or not to get behind the wheel of a car.