Young drivers age 16 to 20 are _____ to die in a car crash with a BAC of 0.08% compared to not drinking?

Young drivers age 16 to 20 are _____ to die in a car crash with a BAC of 0.08% compared to not drinking?

• A. 2 times more likely
• B. 10 times more likely
• C. 17 times more likely
• D. 3 times more likely

Answer: (C)

Alcohol at the 0.08% level seriously impairs driving, and for drivers aged 16–20 this impairment translates into a particularly large jump in the chance of a fatal crash. At that BAC, teens are about 17 times more likely to die in a crash than if they had not been drinking at all. The reason is that alcohol slows reaction time, dulls judgment, and reduces multitasking and visual tracking, all of which are crucial for safe driving. Teens also have less driving experience and may engage in riskier behavior, so the impairing effects of alcohol hit them harder relative to not drinking. That combination explains why the risk is far higher than the smaller multipliers.

Alcohol at the 0.08% level seriously impairs driving, and for drivers aged 16–20 this impairment translates into a particularly large jump in the chance of a fatal crash. At that BAC, teens are about 17 times more likely to die in a crash than if they had not been drinking at all. The reason is that alcohol slows reaction time, dulls judgment, and reduces multitasking and visual tracking, all of which are crucial for safe driving. Teens also have less driving experience and may engage in riskier behavior, so the impairing effects of alcohol hit them harder relative to not drinking. That combination explains why the risk is far higher than the smaller multipliers.