An Alarming Number of Teens Are Drivers in Deadly DUI Crashes in NJ

Teenagers who get behind the wheel drunk are responsible for a significant percentage of all fatal alcohol-related crashes in the state.

As if you needed another reason to worry about your kid drinking and driving: A new report shows that a big percentage of NJ teens are responsible for the deadly DUI accidents in the state.

In fact, teen drivers are behind the wheel in 10 percent of all fatal drunk-driving crashes in New Jersey, according to the study, which relies on data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

That’s a lot, considering teens make up just six percent of all licensed drivers in the state, according to the New Jersey division of the NHTSA. There were 107 fatal DUI collisions at the hands of teen motorists here out of a total of 1,052 deadly drunk-driving accidents between 2005 and 2013.

Teaneck law firm Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., is behind the project StaySoberNJ.com (#StaySoberNJ), which compiled and released the online report, because one of the partners nearly died at the hands of a drunk driver when he was in college.

“Clearly, we need to focus our efforts on teens,” the law firm says on StaySoberNJ.com.

The site includes an interactive map of New Jersey showing where the deadly accidents have happened around the state, as well as a breakdown of the incidents by age, gender and county. You can look up where you live to see how prevalent DUI crashes are around you.

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