It could take just one drink for a minor to be charged with DUI
In Tennessee, there is really no sympathy for the fact that teenagers experiment and make mistakes. Whereas a driver 21 or over would be charged with DWI with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08, a 16-year-old with a BAC level of 0.02 would face an underage DUI charge in Tennessee.
Think back to your teenhood. Did you ever have, say, one beer just to try it? Maybe you even had that one beer with your parents. It is important for teens and their guardians to understand the strict laws in Tennessee and to also discuss responsible drinking.
Studies suggest that parent behavior plays a significant role in whether teens engage in underage drinking. A study published in the journal of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, indicates the alcoholic drinks of choice among kids under the age of 21 and compared the trends to marketing content. Doing so, researchers think, would indicate how impactful marketing is on the drinking habits of youth.
The clearest conclusion of the research is that if the young drink, they consume beer. Bud Light is the most popular beer choice with various other brands of beer making up the rest of the list. While some researchers believe drink choice and drinking behavior is most affected by marketing, others argue that parents’ roles are more powerful determiners regarding underage drinking.
Marketing and parenting both might impact a teen’s choice to drink and drink and drive. But probably the most logical reason why the young engage in underage drinking or face an underage DUI charge is simply because they are kids being kids.
What’s daunting is that a kid’s mistake can result in serious consequences. Our Tennessee underage DWI defense lawyers fight to prevent a conviction that could lead to a kid’s struggle to get into certain schools and other hardships down the road.
Source: 89.3 KPCC, “Beer Institute president: Parents, not ads, influence underage drinking,” Jose Martinez, Feb. 14, 2013