The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today released data showing that more than 4 million persons aged 16-20 drove under the influence of either alcohol or drugs in the past year, according to 2002 and 2003 reports. This is 21 percent of U.S. youth in that age group. When the two years of data are looked at separately, driving under the influence was reported by 22 percent of 16-20 year olds in 2002 and 20 percent in 2003.

SAMHSA extracted the data from two years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2002 and 2003, to improve the reliability of estimates.

Among 16-20 year olds, 14 percent drove under the influence of illicit drugs, 17 percent reported driving under the influence of alcohol, and eight percent reported driving after consuming a combination of alcohol and illicit drugs. Only four percent of persons 16-20 who reported driving under the influence were arrested and booked for driving under the influence in the year preceding their survey.

"This is a major public health issue," SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie said. "As we approach New Year's Eve celebrations, adults have to be cognizant that more than one in five youths are driving after using illicit drugs or illegally consuming alcohol, or both. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among young persons 16-20."

Further, he said, "SAMHSA is actively working to create prevention programs in local communities. We need the support of parents and other adults to both set a good example and reinforce the message that when youth drink and use illicit drugs they can ruin the rest of their lives, and the lives of family and friends. This can negatively impact the entire community.

The SAMHSA data show approximately 25 percent of persons ages 16 to 20 who lived in the Midwest reported driving under the influence. This compares to approximately 20 percent who lived in the South and 19 percent of those who lived in the Northeast or the West.

The prevalence of driving under the influence was highest among persons who lived outside of metropolitan statistical areas (25 percent), followed by persons who lived in small metropolitan statistical areas (23 percent) and persons living in large metropolitan statistical areas (19 percent).

The report is available on the web at www.oas.samhsa.gov.

SAMHSA, a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services in the United States.