It has long been known that peer pressure can have a negative impact on driving. This is why teens are sometimes prohibited from driving with their friends until they reach a certain age. Studies have found that drivers with friends in the car are more likely to be reckless and to make an illegal driving maneuver, among other things.
One way in which this could become a problem is that it may make it more likely that someone would drive under the influence. This is a person who probably wouldn’t have done this if they were on their own, and who understands that what they’re doing is both dangerous and illegal. However, the peer pressure that they face causes them to ignore these risk factors and attempt to drive anyway, which can lead to serious charges.
Letting down the group
One way that this happens is when there are a group of young people who are all drinking together at a social gathering. It becomes time to go or to relocate to a different place, and most of the people there are too intoxicated to drive.
What they will do is pressure the person who is the closest to sober to drive everyone. This individual will feel like they are letting the group down if they refuse to do it, even if they know that it also wouldn’t be safe for them to drive. That’s the type of pressure that causes someone to take a risk that they will significantly regret if they get pulled over or are involved in an accident.
If you have a teenager who is facing charges because of something like this, you need to know about all of the legal defense options at your disposal to protect their future.