EDUCATIONALLY SPEAKING -- gay geiser-sandoval

Youth! Why can’t they be like we were, perfect in every way? What’s

the matter with teenagers today? A recent student newspaper article

suggested students today “party” just as their parents did, so get off

their backs. (A reminder, “partying” means drinking alcohol and/or doing

drugs.)

At last week’s student-led town hall meeting, students suggested

alternate consequences for the zero-tolerance policy, saying it doesn’t

stop students from drinking. It just moves the problem. School officials

countered the school is not responsible for fixing every problem: that is

the job of the parent.

As we come into the most concentrated party time of the year, when youths

will certainly be tempted to start the year 2000 with some mind-altering

drugs, whether it be alcohol or something else, who is responsible? How

about the youths themselves?

It is illegal for minors to possess, use or consume alcohol. It is

illegal to use or present false identification of age in an attempt to

procure alcohol. It is illegal for a minor to try to purchase alcohol.

These crimes, some of which subject youths to jail time, have an added

kicker. The real punishment comes in the requirement that those who plead

or are found guilty will lose their driver’s license for a year.

So, are you safe if you start drinking at 14, but stop when you are 16?

No, if you are convicted before you start driving, the year runs from

when you are first eligible. If you have two offenses, your driving

privilege will be suspended for an additional year.

Are you safe if you drink in your own home or the home of a friend? Well,

you are still committing the crime if the home is open to the public,

which is true with most big parties.

The question is, will the police find out about your crime? Maybe and

maybe not.

What if someone slips a “roofie” into a drink at the party and a teenager

goes unconscious? When the paramedics are called, the police will be

there, too. If you have a party that is loud and obnoxious, with guests

yelling and barfing on the neighbors’ lawns, it is likely you will be

found out. If you leave the home with a beer can in your hand, it is

likely you will be found out. Is it worth risking your chance to be in

charge of the wheel?

How are you getting your liquor? If you are transporting it in a car, you

are violating the law, unless you are accompanied by your parent or other

adult designated by your parent. If you are just the passenger, you are

still in trouble. You will lose your driving privileges for a year. The

driver’s car can be impounded for one to 30 days, and you have to pay the

impound fee. You face six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

What if you only drink at a party at someone else’s house, in the dark,

in a quiet back room? Are you safe if you only have one beer? Not if you

drive. While adults are presumed to be under the influence of alcohol

when their blood alcohol is a .08%, teenagers cannot have any alcohol in

their blood. So, that one beer means losing your driving privileges for a

year, even if you are stopped because you forgot to put on your seat

belt.

Teenagers are presumed under the influence if their blood alcohol is a

.05% or above. Such a conviction subjects teenagers to license

suspension, special programs, jail, community service and fines. And

forget trying to get car insurance; you are a high-risk driver now.

What if you are driving with a .05% blood alcohol reading and you caused

your passengers to die? Then you are facing manslaughter charges, which

can lead to 16 months to 4 years in prison. It probably isn’t the college

campus of your dreams.

Parents, where do you fit into the party scene? Many parents are taking

the three monkey approach: see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil.

“Isn’t it better to let the teenagers drink in my home, where I know they

are safe?” some parents ask.

How safe is your future if you are supplying the alcohol? Once again, if

the police don’t find out, it is unlikely that you will have any criminal

or civil repercussions. But, every time you let it happen, you are

increasing the odds that your retirement years will not be golden.

What if someone drinks at your house to the point where he has alcohol

poisoning and needs to be hospitalized? How long before the police come

with handcuffs to your door? What if a drinker isn’t careful when she

crosses the street and gets hit by a car? What if you know that your son

or daughter goes to “parties” every weekend and drives drunk? What

happens when a teenage party guest who drank your alcohol drives a car

full of passengers and hits another car, maybe one full of youths, too?

You better like your house, because when that big civil judgment for $1

million or $2 million goes on your record, you won’t be able to move

again until you pay it off. You won’t be going on vacations because your

bank accounts will get cleaned out. Most everything you own will be sold

or have a lien on it. Your wages will be garnished, and a portion of

every paycheck will go toward that judgment. You may face criminal

penalties yourself.

How easy is it to set curfews and get up to see if your children have

bloodshot eyes and smell like booze? How easy is it to check your liquor

cabinet and keep it locked? How easy is it to take the car keys away from

those that violate your rules? How easy is it to try to get your child

out of prison if he kills someone in a car crash after he has been

drinking? How easy is it to support your family from jail? How easy is it

to pay off that $1 million judgment? How easy is it to visit your son or

daughter’s grave?

Teenagers and parents, is it time to make some New Year’s resolutions?

* GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs Mondays.

She can be reached by e-mail at GGSesq@aol.com .