Shocking study shows where NJ stands with underage DUI

Teaching your kid how to drive the first time is among the scariest things you can do. Think about it. You agree to ride in the passenger seat and be driven around by someone who has no idea what they’re doing and who has never driven a car before.

Yet it’s even scarier when they’ve earned their license and you’re sitting at home, not in that passenger seat, not having any clue where they are or what they’re up to. Add the possibility of underage drinking behind the wheel, and it becomes terrifying.

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But there’s very good news for us New Jersey parents that just came out in a study on underage drinking and driving. The law firm Osborne and Francis

Analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Alcohol.org to rank states that have the worst offenders.

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They looked at fatal crashes of drivers under 20 involving a BAC of .08 or higher and several DUI arrests of teens under 18, then assigned a Teen Drunk Driving Danger Score. Think of the score like golf; the lower the number, the better. A low number means your kid is less at risk statistically.

For example, the worst state in the nation where underage drivers are most at risk for drinking and driving is Wyoming, where their score was 76.78. They were followed by Montana and South Dakota as the most dangerous.

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New Jersey’s score was only 4.70 and was the second safest in the country when it comes to the risk of teens driving drunk. Delaware was the safest.

Additionally, we had the lowest rate in the nation for fatal crashes involving a drunk underage driver. We must be doing something right.

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Whether this is a testament to our graduated license program which among other things limits the number of passengers you can have in the car, or a push for awareness in our schools, or better communication with parents, it’s good news for New Jersey moms and dads who already have too much to worry about.

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Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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