“Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Among Young Persons” is available online from SAMHSA.
One out of every five 16 to 20-year-olds reported having driven while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs, a recent survey by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found.
Based on a survey of 16,167 16- to 20-year-olds, the percentage of respondents who reported having driven while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs in the last year dropped from 22 percent in 2002 to 20 percent in 2003.
Twenty-four percent of the young males reported that they had driven while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, compared with 18 percent of the young women.
Only 4 percent of the youths who admitted that they had driven while under the influence within a year of the survey reported that they had been arrested and booked for the offense.
