Underage Drinking
It’s 11 o’clock at night and your best friend’s brother just showed up with a case of beer. Only three months till graduation, so you’re partying with your friends harder than ever! I mean who knows when you’ll see them again after graduation; you’re all going to different schools. A couple hours pass and it’s now 1 o’clock, you’re really feeling that buzz. Man it really does feel as good as they say. You figure you’ll head home since the party has pretty much died out. You and you’re three best friends load up in your truck and head out on the country roads toward home. Everyone’s laughing and having a good time, Trent’s on the phone with his girlfriend letting her know you’re on your way home. But you never make it there. You were driving too fast, not paying attention and that curve was too sharp.
February 26, 2006, Clay Vinson, Joe Bravard, Trent Knutson and Grant Ward were all involved in a fatal crash just north of Boone, Iowa. Clay was the driver of the car at only 20 years old and was the only survivor. The other three boys were killed on impact, while Trent’s girlfriend was on the phone with him. Clay missed a curve and drove off the road into an embankment head on into a tree. The three other boys were also ages 19, 19 and 20 and were seniors at Boone High School. Clay had graduated the year before. They had all fallen victim to underage drinking that ultimately took their lives.
Underage drinking has been an issue in Iowa for quite some time. As reported by KCCI 2013, “The 2010 Iowa Youth Survey showed one out of every five eleventh graders in Iowa report engaging in binge drinking over the past month, according to a Youth and Shelter Services news release.” This is a large number of students considering this is only one grade. Many students probably responded no, with the fear of getting in trouble. We also need to take into account grades 7-12 since it is being reported that children as young as 12 are binge...