San Diego Municipalities Top Lists of Underage, Under-the-Influence Drivers in California

Chula Vista Deputy Mayor Rudy Ramirez is opening his office doors on Monday, October 4, inviting Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to ride shotgun in a discussion about the high rate of underage, under-the-influence drivers involved in car accidents and fatalities in Chula Vista.

According to data collected from the California Office of Traffic Safety, the South Bay city of approximately 220,000 residents ranks first in vehicular incidents in California cities with populations between 100,000 and 250,000.

"We should make every effort to educate our youth about the dangers of drinking and driving, as together these actions may lead to a lifetime of irrevocable consequences," states Deputy Mayor Ramirez's September 28 press release.

While Chula Vista ranks first in underage collisions, it isn't the only city in the county with a drinking and driving problem. Municipalities throughout San Diego County ranked in the top five among similar-sized cities.

For the first group, cities with populations ranging in size from 25,000 to 50,000, Lemon Grove ranked second out of 97 cities in collisions involving drivers under the age of 21 that resulted in injury or fatality. Lemon Grove also had the fifth highest rate of alcohol-related collisions for those drinking age and over.

For cities with populations between 50,000 and 100,000, Poway ranked first in alcohol-related collisions involving drivers under the age of 21.

Escondido was third on the list of cities with populations of 100,000 to 250,000, for collisions where one or more parties involved had been drinking.

As for the largest cities in the state, San Diego ranked 4th out of 13 in collisions where drivers were under the influence and under the age of 21. America's finest city was number 1 in alcohol-related incidents with drivers between the ages of 21 and 34.

All rankings are based on data collected from 2008.