As a parent how would you handle drinking and driving?

I just starting thinking about drinking and driving. I am not a drinker and I would never ever tolerate someone I knew driving under the influence.





My kids aren't teenagers but someday they will be. I know, as a teen I would drink [..it was legal I lived in Germany] but I didn't have my drivers license so drinking and driving wasn't going to happen. Now, if we are still living in the States when my boys are teens I wonder how I will handle drinking and driving. Of course you don't want to give permission to drink but if they do you don't want them to drive.





Hopefully, we all raise our kids to not drink but we also know kids are easily influenced.





So, without directly permitting your child to drink how would you encourage him/her to call you if they did and needed to get home? What will your talk be like when [or what was it like] your kids are teens?





Thanks!As a parent how would you handle drinking and driving?
I am only 18, yet I am a firm believer in safety. I will admit that I have drink. I have gotten drunk, but I can only count the number of times on 1 hand. When your kids get older, near the age when they ARE going to experience drinking, you need to teach them about safety. Explain to them that drinking and driving isn't just about not hurting or killing themselves because of D%26amp;D, it's about the other people that they could hurt/kill. You also need to explain to them about getting in a car with others who have drink. Because just because they're not driving, doesn't mean theyre any safer. The driver who has been drinking will also likely hurt/kill themselves or others. I really don't get people these days. I really dont get the ';oh, nothing will happen'; mindset of people in the world. It's all about gameplan. You need to tell them that even though you do not condone their drinking, IF they choose to do so they need a plan. They need to make plans for a cab to pick them up at a certain time, or even call YOU if they have been drinking. Because I know this for a fact, my mother would be much much happier if I called her after I was drinking for her to pick me up, rather than driving after I have been drinking or getting into someone elses car who has been drinking. This is why I tell my mother if I have drink. I know she isn't thrilled when I tell her I might be drinking, but at least she knows. I feel safer when she knows that I might have a few drinks. I feel safer knowing that I am able to call her and say ';hey mom, pick me up';. So the point is talk to them about the dangers of d%26amp;d, safety, and let them know that if they do drink just call you or someone they know. Because I believe that you would rather have them call you then have a police man show up at your door telling you that there has been an accident.As a parent how would you handle drinking and driving?
Well, if it happens, there is no more driving, no more car, no more going out, no more fun, no more sunlight, okay, maybe 1 hour a day! :)





Seriously though, I would come down VERY hard on a kid who puts himself and other motorists at risk. I don't want my kid drinking, but if he/she does drink I want a phone call at 2am. From my kid. Not the cops who threw him in the drunk tank. And NOT the cops who scraped his lifeless body off the pavement.





I would be MUCH harder on a young person who drinks and drives than I would on a young person who drinks and survives.
First of all The child would be working and will have purchased his own car and insurance,so lets say 18 years old and would not go riding with anyone under 18 .


I would tell him at 16 that I know some people go out and unintentionally get drunk and have accidents that kill others .So I would prefer that if he finds him self in that situation do not ride with that person or be that person .Call for some one at home to come and get you or call a cab .
if they drink and drive ONCE they are off my insurance policy...it WILL be a ZERO tolerance rule...there is NO chance provided..





DUI and drunk driving KILLS people and I will NOT be an enabler...





since their insurance would go through the roof, they WILL follow through with the rules of the house





your kids and mine should have the answer to drinking and smoking as a pre programmed answer...no questions asked...';I will not drink';..done..there is no exception to the rule or consequences will be attached!
DEAR MISS





GO TO MADD AND GET THE VIDEO ARE DVD ABOUT





DRINKING AND DRIVING THIS WILL HELP YOU OUT OK IT





TELLS ALL AND SHOWS ALL ABOUT WHAT WILL CAN





AND DOES HAPPEN IN A CAR CRASH OK MY BROTHER





WAS A COP SO I SAW IT FOR FREE IF YOU KNOW A





COP THE CAN GET YOU A COPY FOR A GROUP TO





WATCH TOGETHER OK





GOOD LUCK





TAKE CARE
With my children, we had an ';amnesty'; plan. If they drank and there was no sober teen to drive, they were to call home and we would come, ';no questions asked.'; It worked quite well. We were called very infrequently, as other kids seemed to have the same plan in effect in their families.
Start talking to them about the problems with drinking and driving when they are young. Most likely the kid will drink at some point, remind them it's important to learn to drink in moderation and not excessively. Also remind them that if they've been somewhere and are drinking, they need to call for a ride home... Give them a ride home no questions asked, just be thankful they are being safe.





If I caught my teenage son drinking and driving he'd be grounded from the car and wouldn't be driving anywhere. We have talked about this a lot and he has a lot of family he can call for a ride if he's not comfortable calling mom. The most important thing is to stress you want them to be safe... Make sure they know never to get in a car with someone who has been drinking too.