Tori Vance DUI Shines Spotlight on Teenage Drunk Driving
Tori Vance, a former Miss Arizona Teen, has been arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI). The charges come after several pageant winners have been arrested for alcohol and/or drug abuse as well as domestic battery.
Vance was pulled over after making an illegal U-turn in Hollywood over the weekend; her blood-alcohol level registered at over the legal limit of .08, TMZ reported. It is illegal for her to be even the slightest bit intoxicated, as the legal drinking age is 21.
There has been no comment about pending charges, though it is likely she will have to face some form of penalty. She is only the latest in former pageant winners to be charged with an illegal activity. In April, Miss New Hampshire 2010, Nicole Houde, was charged with biting, scratching and punching her boyfriend during a fight.
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And just last week, former Miss USA Rima Fakih was sentenced to six months probation, 20 hours of community service, $600 in fines, and a mandatory alcohol safety course. She was charged with drunk driving and pled "no contest" in order to avoid serving jail time.
"I'm very relieved, but let's say it got to that point (going to jail). I was willing to pay the price it took because I knew I made mistakes," she said after the sentence. "My intention was not to drive drunk and put a lot of people in danger. It was very humbling, and I had a lot of people by my side- family and friends- and you learn who's there for you."
According to one statistic provided by drunkdrivinglawyers.com, "more than 3,000 teenagers die every year as a result of injuries obtained during vehicular accidents attributed to driving under the influence. Nearly 70 percent of teenagers at one point or another have consumed an alcoholic beverage."
It is a startling problem that has been highlighted by celebrities including Lindsay Lohan, and most recently Amanda Bynes. Even though Lohan and Bynes were of legal drinking age, their celebrity status and DUI charges make it seem "trendy" for their younger fans to drink as well.
