Extra Patrols, Communication Target Underage Drinking at Graduation Time

Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom knows all too well the toll that drinking and driving can take: His mother was crippled after her car was struck by a 15-year-old drunk driver.

Which is why Backstrom personally attends many of the held for Dakota County high school students in the spring. It's no coincidence that those elaborate accident reconstructions are staged in April and May. Anecdotally, Backstrom said, the number of alcohol-related accidents involving underage drinkers increases just after high school graduation in the late spring.

“Every year, we see an increase in these issues around major high school events, like prom and graduation, so it’s a concern in the springtime,” Backstrom said.

With that in mind, area law enforcement agencies are gearing up for graduation-night celebrations around Minnesota, which can mean underage drinking and driving—and potentially serious consequences.

The past two years have been fairly quiet in Mendota Heights, according to Mendota Heights Police Chief Mike Aschenbrener, and there will be additional squads on the street to keep it that way.

"We do beef it up, and it’s nice for us because it coincides with the spring kick-off of the 'Click It or Ticket' campaign," said Aschenbrener. He said there will be 18 additional patrol shifts focused on traffic safety during the campaign, which ends June 5, funded through a state grant.

“We always see an increase in impaired drivers and fatal crashes when the warm weather rolls around every year,” says Lt. Eric Roeske, public information officer for the Minnesota State Patrol. “But obviously enforcement can take us only so far,” he added. “We can’t enforce our way out of this stuff; it’s got to be a change in the way people think and set priorities that will make a true impact.”

The state patrol has programs in place in which officers visit schools and educate students about the decisions they make as both drivers and passengers, Roeske said.

The passage of  social host ordinances in many communities—laws that hold property owners responsible for underage drinking on their property—has helped spread a message of responsibility to parents, said Aschenbrener.

While Mendota Heights does not have a social host ordinance in place, "state law puts the liability squarely on the server's shoulders, whether they’re a private homeowner or a private club," Aschenbrener said.

Enforcement around graduation when many students attend house parties or bonfires where drinking takes place can be more difficult for police, Inver Grove Heights Lt. Larry Stanger said. In the case of a house party, officers must receive a complaint or observe underage drinking at the event in order to take action.

“It’s a reactive-type approach," Stanger said.

Dakota County Sheriff Dave Bellows praised the all-night post-graduation parties that more schools host each year. But he says the most effective tool is still communication.

“Parents are taking a more progressive role in making sure that kids don’t have access to alcohol, and that’s a real positive,” Bellows said. “It’s important to know where your kids are going, and if they’re going to a party, make sure that alcohol won’t be included.

“And if a kid does drink, make sure there’s a safety net, that he or she can call home and get a ride. I’m not sanctioning underage drinking—it’s still wrong—but we have to drive home the idea that drinking and driving don’t mix.”

In Washington County, the sheriff’s office uses Facebook to get the word out about the dangers of underage drinking and driving while impaired, Sgt. Kyle Schenck said. In addition, the office also has school resource officers who talk to students about making good decisions.

Ultimately, Bellows said, parents and teens should be aware of the consequences of their actions.

“Graduation should be a time of celebration, and we don’t want to see it turn into a time of tragedy,” he said. “We deal with this very, very seriously.”

Drunk Driving Statistics*

• In 2009, there were five alcohol-related traffic deaths and 2,337 DWIs recorded in Dakota County.
• The total cost of alcohol-related deaths in 2009 in Dakota County was $6.5 million.
• From 2007 to 2009, 33 people were seriously injured in alcohol-related crashes in Dakota County.
• There were 32,756 impaired driving incidents in 2009 in Minnesota. This number represents an 8 percent decrease over the previous year. Drivers under the age of 21 accounted for 8 percent of those incidents.
• There were 141 alcohol-related traffic fatalities in 2009 in Minnesota.
• People who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who wait until age 21. Each additional year of delayed drinking onset reduces the probability of alcohol dependence by 14 percent.

*Statistics courtesy of the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety and the Dakota County Attorney's office.