Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 15–Senators Wiener, Rawson, Cegavske, Neal, Mathews, Nolan and Washington
Senate Concurrent RESOLUTION—Encouraging the Department of Human Resources to study the problem of alcohol and drug abuse by teenagers and young adults while driving motor vehicles.
Whereas, For many years the Nevada Legislature has
identified underage drinking and drug use as a critical public health
problem and is dedicated to mobilizing and coordinating efforts and
action to prevent it; and
Whereas, Research indicates that the earlier children begin
drinking, the more likely they are to have alcohol-related
dependency problems, including for example, those children who
drink before the age of 15 years are four times more likely to
develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at the
age of 21 years; and
Whereas, The Nevada Legislature realizes that the entire
community, including the Department of Human Resources, other
state and local agencies, parents, teachers and other school staff and
community groups must present a clear, consistent “NO USE”
message to those under the age of 21 years; and
Whereas, Teenagers and young adults with ready access to a
motor vehicle have become increasingly mobile, thereby adding a
new fluid dynamic to the manner in which they use alcohol and
illegal drugs; and
Whereas, When responding to the Youth Risk Behavior
Survey conducted in 2001 under the auspices of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 30 percent of Nevada’s high school
students reported that they had ridden with a drinking driver during
the past month and 17.5 percent reported that they rarely or never
used safety belts; and
Whereas, In 2000, a total of 2,339 teenagers, from 15 to 20
years of age, were killed in alcohol-related traffic accidents in the
United States and that figure rose to 2,453 teen fatalities in 2001;
and
Whereas, Of the 1,586 juvenile arrests for liquor violations
reported by Nevada’s local law enforcement agencies, 73 involved
driving under the influence of alcohol; and
Whereas, Research continues to show that young drivers are
more often involved in alcohol-related accidents than any other age
group, with the peak for fatal crashes occurring at 21 years of age;
and
Whereas, In 2000, the ages with the next highest number of
fatalities in alcohol-related accidents were 19, 22, 20 and 23,
respectively; and
Whereas, The highest prevalence of both binge and heavy
drinking in 2000 was among young adults, 18 to 25 years of age,
with the peak rate occurring at 21 years of age; and
Whereas, In 2001, the National Transportation Safety Board
reported that, at 53 percent, young adults from 21 to 24 years of age
have the highest percentage of alcohol-related driver deaths of any
age group in this country; and
Whereas, The 2001 report of the National Center on Substance
Abuse and Addiction (CASA), in New York City, entitled
“Shoveling Up: Impact of Substance Abuse on State Budgets,”
states that only 1 percent of the $473 million total that Nevada
spends annually on substance abuse programs is used for prevention
and treatment, while the remaining 99 percent is used for cleaning
up the wreckage caused by substance abuse and addiction; now,
Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the
Assembly Concurring, That the Nevada Legislature hereby
encourages the Department of Human Resources in cooperation
with the Department of Transportation, the Department of Public
Safety and the Department of Education to study the problem of
alcohol and drug use by those under the age of 21 years and alcohol
and drug abuse by those young adults who are between 21 and 25
years of age, while driving a motor vehicle. The study should
include, without limitation:
1. A compilation of any available statistics relating to this
problem;
2. A determination of the causes of this behavior;
3. An assessment of the effectiveness of available public and
private programs and existing policies for the prevention of this
behavior;
4. An evaluation of the techniques, programs, and practices
that are most successful in preventing this behavior;
5. Identification of the gaps in services and public knowledge
relating to the causes, prevalence, and incidence of this behavior;
and
6. An appraisal of the adequacy of current interagency
collaboration, including, without limitation, data sharing, program
development, and cross-training, in meeting the challenges of this
problem; and be it further
Resolved, That the Department of Human Resources is
encouraged to request assistance in obtaining information for this
study from substance abuse counselors, judges who hear cases
concerning alcohol and drug abuse by teenagers and young adults,
insurance companies and motor clubs, KIDS COUNT, and other
groups that work to prevent drinking and driving such as Students
Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), STOP DUI, Mothers
Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the Northern Nevada DUI
Task Force; and be it further
Resolved, That the Department of Human Resources is
authorized to accept any gifts, grants and donations to carry out this
study; and be it further
Resolved, That, if such a study is conducted, the Department
of Human Resources report to the 73rd Session of the Nevada
Legislature with a recommended plan of action for modifying
existing policies and programs that would more comprehensively
work to prevent drinking and drug use by those under the age of 21
years by incorporating new research and science-based programs
and new technology that do not send mixed messages or condone
underage drinking, and which include methods of addressing
alcohol and drug abuse by young adults between 21 and 25 years of
age in motor vehicles into the scope of this state’s strategies for the
prevention of alcohol and drug abuse; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and
transmit a copy of this resolution to the Department of Education for
dissemination to counselors at junior high and middle schools, high
schools and charter schools, to the Board of Regents for
dissemination to counselors at the institutions within the University
and Community College System of Nevada, to the Nevada Parent-
Teacher Association for dissemination to the local chapters if the
Association in public and private elementary and secondary schools,
including charter schools, to the Nevada Interscholastic Activities
Association for dissemination to athletic coaches in this state, to the
Retail Association of Nevada for dissemination to businesses that
sell alcohol to persons over-the-counter, and to entities that provide
training to bartenders and others persons who sell or deliver alcohol
by the drink, such as the Bartenders Union Local 165 and
TAM/Nevada, Techniques of Alcohol Management.
20~~~~~03