What percentage of teens drink and smoke?
John Castro
Published Feb 28, 2026
What percentage of teens drink and smoke?
Just 9.6 percent of adolescents, ages 12 to 17, reported using alcohol in 2015, down from 17.6 percent in 2002, according to the data. Far fewer adolescents smoke every day: about 20 percent in 2015, down from 32 percent in 2002.
What are the statistics of teenage drinking and driving?
The CDC reports that high school students drive intoxicated about 2.4 million times each month, and underage drivers are 17% more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash with alcohol in their system.
Are teens more likely to drive drunk?
Teen drivers are less likely than adults to drink and drive, but their crash risk is substantially higher when they do, even with low or moderate blood-alcohol (BAC) levels.
What percentage of teens drive under the influence?
It has been reported that one out of every ten high school students drink and drive. That number has gone down from statistics in the past. Since 1991, that number has decreased by over 51%. Even so, according to the CDC, high school students drink and drive approximately 2.4 million times each month.
What percent of teenage drinkers become alcoholics?
Overall, up to 12% of young people ages 12 to 20 years old meet the criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence. This pattern may continue as they get older. About 12% of teen males and 3% of teen females are chronic heavy drinkers in high school and continue to drink heavily as adults.
Can a 14 year old get drunk?
Young people can appear very drunk after consuming relatively small amounts of alcohol because they have a very low tolerance for alcohol. However, if your child has drunk more alcohol than his body can handle, he may be at risk of alcohol poisoning. Is Your Teen’s Alcohol Use a Sign of Depression?
How many deaths are caused by drunk driving?
One alcohol-related death occurs every 52 minutes, according to the NHTSA. Drunk driving causes more than 10,000 deaths every year, about 1/3 of all traffic-related deaths.
What is the leading cause of death for teenage drivers?
Auto accidents
Auto accidents are the leading cause of death for teens ages 15 to 20. When teen drivers ride with other passengers, their risk of being in a fatal car crash doubles.
What percentage did teen drinking and driving drop from 1991 2011?
54%
The prevalence of drinking and driving among teens 16 and older declined by 54% from 1991 to 2011, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.
Is drinking and driving still a problem for teenager 2020?
Drinking and driving among teens in high school has gone down by 54% since 1991. Still, high school teens drive after drinking about 2.4 million times a month. 85% of teens in high school who report drinking and driving in the past month also say they binge drank.
What percentage of drunk drivers survive?
When looking at the raw numbers – not taking into account the severity of injury – researchers found that 1 percent of drunk patients died, and 7 percent of sober patients died.
Why is underage drinking and driving hazardous?
Alcohol isn’t just illegal for teenagers to consume—it can be deadly if they drink and drive. In fact, drunk driving is one of the most frequent causes of death among teens. Alcohol impairs most of the skills that young drivers need the most, such as their reaction time, their vision, and their judgment.