How Can I Stop Teens From Drinking and Driving?

Every parent understands how challenging it is to raise teens. Regardless, we must put in the work to ensure that our children grow into responsible adults soon. That’s because no one wants to see their child turn out badly. For example, having to call a DUI lawyer for your child’s drinking and driving offense can be sad and embarrassing.

Apart from facing DUI charges, drinking and driving are particularly risky for teenagers. According to the CDC, teens are more at risk of a road crash than older adults with the same blood alcohol concentration. The report added that in 2019, 24% of drivers aged 15–20 killed in motor vehicle crashes had been drinking.

While we can’t always guarantee our children’s behaviors, we can do our best to point them in the right direction. This article discusses how you can teach your teens not to drink and drive. If your child already has a DUI charge, we’ll show you how we can help too.

How Can I Prevent My Teen from Drunk Driving ?

There’s a lot you can do to help your children avoid drinking and driving. You can begin by doing the following:

• Set Clear Rules Against Drinking and Driving 

The first step is to make your stance on drinking and driving as clear to them as possible. Let your teen know that you’ll ground them or confiscate their driver’s license if they do. Also, talk to them about the legal consequences of drunk driving. If you can, lead by example and avoid liquor yourself.

• Install an IID in Their Vehicles 

Depending on your peculiar situation, you may consider installing an Ignition Interlock Device (IID) in your teen’s car. For example, this is a great idea if your teen is suffering from substance use disorder. In such cases, an IID will help them avoid drunk driving when they can not help themselves. In addition to IID, get them professional help.

• Liaise With Other Parents 

You can discuss drinking and driving with the parents of your teen’s friends. Then, you could try to get them to agree to the no-alcohol policy. That way, you can reduce your teen’s chances of getting liquor when they visit their friends’ houses.

• Help Them Deal With Peer Pressure 

Peer pressure isn’t always a bad thing. So, you must take your time to observe your child’s friends and the influence their friends are projecting on them.

Encourage positive peer pressure as much as you can. With the same energy, disapprove of negative peer pressure. You can help your kids deal with peer pressure by helping them with good excuses to refuse bad peer influence.

• Don’t Make Alcohol Available at Home

It’s much easier to avoid drinking alcohol when it’s not within arm’s length. So, ensure that you don’t tempt your kids by making liquor available for them at home. If your home can’t be alcohol-free, ensure that all liquor is locked up somewhere they can’t access.

What Do I Do if My Teen Got a DUI in Boise, Idaho?

There are many adverse consequences of a DUI conviction that your teens may have to deal with. With a DUI record, your child may experience difficulties getting into college or securing employment. So, it would help if you acted fast to prevent the life-altering consequences that a DUI conviction brings.

Generally, the best thing to do in this situation is to immediately contact an experienced DUI attorney. A good DUI lawyer will try to dismiss your teen’s case by exploiting any loophole before it gets to trial. For example, your attorney may argue that the searches and seizures and chemical tests were illegal. They may also dismiss your child’s case by arguing that the police didn’t read the Miranda rights upon arrest.

If your teen’s case goes to trial, your lawyer will develop a viable defense for your child. The aim at trial would be to secure an acquittal. At the worst, they’ll try to get your child’s charge reduced or get them to serve the minimum punishment.

Contact the Best DUI Lawyers ASAP!

Sometimes, life happens, so you shouldn’t beat yourself up if your teens get arrested for DUI. In such a situation, you must channel your energy into getting them out of such a crisis. The best way to help them is to call our experienced drinking and driving attorneys at Trilogy Law Group.

Our law firm has the most formidable DUI lawyers in Idaho. No matter how hopeless your case looks, we’ll always find a way around it. Contact us immediately; we are eager to help protect your rights and fight a possible conviction.