Throughout April, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will join with partners across the state to conduct activities and workshops to urge parents to talk with their children about alcohol and to never ride with a driver who has been drinking.
The numbers are sobering. Last year in Texas, 101 young people from the age of 12 up to 20 were killed in alcohol related crashes, and 70 of those deaths involved drivers under 21 who had been drinking, according to TxDOT.
This month’s activities are leading up to MADD’s PowerTalk 21 Day on April 21, which is the national day for parents to begin ongoing conversations with their children about alcohol. PowerTalk 21 is part of MADD’s Power of Parents® program presented by national presenting sponsor Nationwide and national supporting partner GM Foundation.
“Parents, not peers, have the biggest influence on children when it comes to alcohol use,” said Jaime Gutierrez, MADD Texas Executive Director. “Talking with your children is the first step. Our Power of Parents program gives parents the tools they need to start these lifesaving conversations with their children.”
Teen alcohol use kills about 4,700 people each year. That’s more than all illegal drugs combined.1 Research shows that about a quarter of eighth graders have tried alcohol,2 and more than 40 percent of all tenth graders drink alcohol.3 It also indicates that children who start drinking young are seven times more likely to be in an alcohol-related crash.4 Adolescent drinkers perform worse in school, are more likely to fall behind and have an increased risk of social problems, depression, suicidal thoughts and violence.5
MADD developed its Power of Parents program to help parents feel confident about talking with their children about the dangers of underage drinking and to never ride with a drinking driver. Parents can download Power of Parents handbooks for parents of middle school and high school students, and sign up for a free 15-minute or 30-minute online workshop in English or Spanish at http://www.madd.org/powertalktx. New in 2016, parents can download the Power of Parents Pocket Guide for a quick overview of the Power of Parents handbooks. When parents sign up for an online workshop or download a handbook, they’ll be entered for a chance to win an Amazon Echo, Kindle Fire HD or one of two $50 gift cards.
(Press release from MADD Texas)