The results of the annual Household Survey on Drug Abuse recently released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration are cause for concern.

Despite great progress in reducing alcohol-related traffic deaths since MADD’s founding in 1980, drunken drving and underage drinking are still dangerous realities in today's society.

Alarmingly, the 2001 survey shows 25 million (one in 10) Americans surveyed reported driving under the influence of alcohol – nearly 3 million more than the previous year.

Among young adults aged 18 to 25 years, almost 23 percent drove under the influence of alcohol.

Unfortunately, there was little change in the rate of underage drinking.

More than 10 million 12 to 20 year-olds reported drinking alcohol in the year before the survey.

Of those, nearly 6.8 million (19 percent) were binge drinkers and 2.1 million (6 percent) were heavy drinkers.

Among the 12 to 17 year-olds, underage drinking rates increased, with more than 17 percent using alochol compared to about 16 percent in the year 2000.

Although the statistics are troubling, there are effective solutions to underage drinking and drunken driving – the problems that are needlessly causing deaths, injuries and even financial hardships to families. MADD’s recently released eight-point plan provides a blueprint for action.

The plan outlines such measures as specific legislation, increased law enforcement programs and innovative concepts such as stricter standards for all alcohol advertising and increases in beer excise taxes to help make alcohol less accessible to price-sensitive young people.

While MADD’s plan calls for public support, the plans will not be successful without individual support.

It all boils down to making good personal decisions, such as adults designating a driver before the drinking begins, parents talk to their kids and setting family rules about underage drinking, and activating young people in creating certain alternatives to drinking.

Societal changes require effort, but the lives saved are well worth it.