GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — For “PowerTalk 21 Day,” Mothers Against Drunk Driving encouraged parents to talk to their children about the dangers of underage drinking and riding with a drinking driver.
April is Alcohol Awareness Month. PowerTalk 21 Day falls on the 21st day to remind people of the legal drinking age.
Representatives from MADD visited two schools in Shelby County, encouraging students to talk about these topics with their parents.
“I was hit by a drunk driver, and so this is one of those situations where we can be able to take something negative and turn it into something positive,” said MADD state program manager Phaedra Marriott-Olsen.
She said MADD’s research shows parents are the leading influence in teens’ lives.
A 2016 MADD and Nationwide survey found that in Tennessee, 154 passengers under 21 were killed riding with a drunk driver last year.
One Germantown High School student told WREG he chooses not to drink underage but said he has, nonetheless, discussed safety choices with his family.
“Not risking hurting, not only myself, but somebody else by driving,” he said.
The survey found more than 80 percent of parents have talked with their kids about the dangers of riding with a drinking driver, but 43 percent of parents admitted to having a drink or two at dinner and driving their kids home in the past year.
“The best thing to be able to do is to be that example to your student and to make sure that you’re taking an Uber, you’re getting a ride home, or you’re simply not drinking with that dinner,” said Marriott-Olsen.
