In 1997, 21 percent of the young drivers 15- to- 20-years-old who were killed in vehicle crashes were intoxicated. Drowning, which was the leading cause of injury-related death among adolescents and young adults, was often related to alcohol impairment. Further, people who began drinking before the age of 15 were four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who waited until age 21. Each additional year of delayed drinking onset reduced the probability of alcohol dependence by 14 percent. Moreover, alcohol exposure during adolescence was linked with a reduced ability to learn compared with those not exposed until adulthood. High school students who used alcohol or other substances were five times more likely than other students to drop out of school or to believe that earning good grades was not important. Also, about half of college students who were victims of crime were drinking when they were victimized. In a high percentage of serious crimes, alcohol was found in the offender, the victim, or both, and alcohol-related problems were disproportionately found in both juvenile and adult offenders. Some good news on the issue of underage drinking was that the laws were working to reduce underage drinking, and prevention programs were working as well. The rate of alcohol use among adolescents ages 12 to 17 decreased from about 50 percent in 1979 to 21 percent in 1991 and has remained relatively stable since then. 25 notes