Remarks for Secretary Mineta, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) National Press Conference

Norman Y. Mineta, United States Secretary of Transportation
July 17, 2001

Thank you, Penny Wells, Executive Director of SADD, for that very warm introduction. I am delighted and honored to join my colleagues from the Congress and the transportation community in support of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and their new initiative “Think About It.”

I would like to thank Penny, and each one of the several hundred SADD students standing behind us today, for partnering with the Department of Transportation (DOT) to make this event possible. It is truly an honor to join SADD in announcing “Think About It,” a new program co-sponsored with our National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to prevent underage drinking and impaired driving.

I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate SADD for 20 years of accomplishments in preventing underage drinking, drug abuse and impaired driving. DOT has enjoyed a very productive and worthwhile relationship with SADD for many years, and we look forward to continuing that partnership.

So many of the hundreds of members of SADD standing with us on the steps of the U.S. Capitol this morning are united by Shared tragedies. The most impressive thing about this day is not the majesty of the Capitol building or the nearby monuments, but the compassion and intelligence of these young people we have gathered here in Washington.

Many of these students, teachers, parents, community leaders and friends of SADD work very hard to prevent the death or maiming of a loved one because of an impaired driver.

On the bright side, the alcohol-related motor vehicle fatality rate is now the lowest on record for children 15 – 20 years of age -- 9 fatalities per 100,000 youth in 1999. However, in 1999, 2,238 young lives were lost because of alcohol-related crashes. Such fatalities are unacceptable, and because every day an increasing population of young drivers are receiving their licenses to drive, we simply cannot rely on the successes of the past.

In other words, our job is never done -- and we must continue educating young people and their parents about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We must do whatever we can to stop such destructive behaviors.

State and national laws have proven especially helpful in reducing alcohol-related crashes. NHTSA estimates that laws making 21 the minimum drinking age have saved an estimated 19,121 lives since 1975.

And, of course, I congratulate the Congress for passing the .08 Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) law last year. More than 20 percent of alcohol-related fatalities involve BAC levels below .10 percent. In fact, if every state adopted the national .08 BAC level, we could save an estimated 500 lives a year.

Currently, 29 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have passed .08 laws.

However, education and prevention are really the first lines of defense against injury or death due to impaired driving. Studies show that parents can be extremely influential in preventing underage drinking or impaired driving by simply talking to their teenage children. According to a SADD study, teens say they would listen to parents who told them not to drink or use drugs and drive.

So I am here to ask parents and adult relatives across America: Please talk to the young people in your life about preventing disaster by not drinking or using drugs, and by driving safely and wearing a seat belt. And, be a role model for them!

Young people themselves are also an important influence in telling peers not to drink, use drugs or drive unsafely. That’s why the campaign we announce here today will go a long way toward helping all of us raise awareness about the terrible consequences of underage drinking and drug use at any age.

Along with SADD’s new “Think About It,” effort, the Department of Transportation will continue promoting our “You Drink and Drive. You Lose.” and “Zero Tolerance Means Zero Chances,” national campaigns. We have enjoyed a very productive and meaningful relationship with SADD for many years, and we look forward to continuing that partnership.

Let me close by congratulating each and every one of the students here today for encouraging other students not to drink alcohol or use drugs and drive.

I would also like to congratulate Justin Weseloh on being named SADD’s new Student of the Year. Justin, I look forward to seeing the progress I believe we can make in the fatality and injury rates under your leadership. I would also like to acknowledge Katie Hultin, Justin’s predecessor, for a job well done during the past year.

Now, it is my pleasure to present this check for $300,000 to SADD from the Department of Transportation to help you launch the new “Think About It” campaign.

Source:  U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)