Underage drinking is a serious concern across the United States, as is drunk driving.
It is when these two acts combine that tragedy is sure to ensue.
As teen partying trends become more heavily concentrated on binge drinking it is important that not only are teens taught about drinking safety, but also the responsibility they hold as hosts, along with the parents or whoever is providing the alcohol to these underage individuals.
Over half of the state governments in the U.
S.
have passes social host liability laws in order to formally prohibit and hopefully prevent parents and adults from providing dangerous levels of alcohol to teens.
When an underage individual drinks in excess and then gets behind then gets behind the wheel of a vehicle they have already committed two crimes; that of consuming alcohol while underage and that of driving while above the legal limit, since most states have a very low limit for those under the drinking age.
However, with social host liability laws, if that young drunk driver harms themselves or others as a result of their intoxication it is likely that the provider of alcohol or the person who hosted the party will be considered liable as well.
Forms of Social Host Liability There are many acts that can occur as the result of a party that can end up costing the host of the party where the young person was allowed to become a danger to themselves and others.
These include the following:

• The young person attempts to drive while drunk and causes property damage
• The individual harms themselves due to intoxication after leaving the party
• The youth injures or kills someone else as a result of their drunk driving following the party

When these tragic accidents occur it is important that all those responsible for the incident and the intoxication are held accountable for the role they played in causing harm.