The Millstone Times October 2019

AUTOMOTIVE Talk To Your Teen About DRUNK DRIVING AND DRUGS

Remind your teen that underage drinking is illegal and driving under the influence of any impairing substance – including illicit, over-the-counter, and prescription drugs – could have deadly conse- quences. Drinking alcohol under the age of 21 is illegal in every State—inside or outside of a vehicle. Drunk driving laws are always strictly enforced, and many States have zero tolerance laws meaning that there can be no trace of alcohol or illegal drugs in your system at any time. Let your teen know: Law enforcement officers will be able to test for these substances. Show your teen the grim stats. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teens are more likely than anyone else to be killed in an alcohol related crash. In 2016, almost one out of five teen drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking. Even though the minimum legal drinking age in every State is 21, data shows 16 percent of 15- to 18-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2016 had been drinking. Drugs other than alcohol – illicit as well as prescribed and over-the-count- er – can affect your teen’s driving, so be sure you and your teen talk about driving and drug use, too. If lucky enough to survive a crash as an impaired driver, your teenager will face the consequences of breaking the law. Those include a possible trip to jail, the loss of his or her driver's license, and doz-

ens of other expenses including attorney fees, court costs, other fines, and insurance hikes. Your teen will also stand to lose academic eligibility, college acceptance, and scholarship awards. Tell your teen that underage drinking, as well as illicit drug use and over-the-counter and prescription drug misuse, is illegal and holds serious consequences. Together, read about some teenagers who've been affected by alcohol or drugs and particularly those who have lost their lives to impaired driving. Teens can often relate better to other teenagers. Remind your teen that it is never safe to ride in a car with someone who has been drinking alcohol or using drugs. If there is even a suspicion of alcohol or drug use, your teen should decline the ride immediately. Let your teen know that they can call you or another trusted adult for a safe ride home if they need one. Make the consequences clear. Remind your teens that they face adult consequences for driving after using alcohol or drugs. Make sure your teens know that if they violate underage drinking laws, they face a trip to jail, the loss of their driver licenses, and dozens of unanticipated expenses including attorney fees, court costs, and other fines. Remind them of the added em- barrassment and humiliation in getting arrested. Drunk- and drugged-driving convictions can even compromise academic eligibility, college acceptance, scholarship awards, and more. Did you know...? By Pam Teel

Lighthouses seem to dot our coastal landscape, but did you know that the first known lighthouse built was The Pharos of Alexandria in Egypt, a 400-foot tower built about 280 B.C.? A wood fire was kept burning on the top of the tower. The Lighthouse of Alexandria became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The lighthouse was damaged by several earthquakes and eventually became an abandoned ruin. In 1994, some of the remains of the lighthouse were discovered by French archaeologists in Alexandria's Eastern Harbor. Before this, the light from volcanoes acted as a guide for sailors. The first lighthouse in Britain was built by the Romans at Dover in A.D. 43. Lighthouses continued to be built to the plans of the Pharos until the 12th century, and then oil lamps and candles inside lanterns began to be substituted for the fires. Shortly thereafter, lighthouses suffered a decline, which lasted until the great expansion of overseas trade and shipping, which began in the 16th century. This led to a revival with many lighthouses being built around the coast of Europe. A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mark dangerous coastlines, hazardous shoals, reefs, rocks and safe entries to harbors; they also assist in aerial navigation. Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses has declined due to the expense of maintenance and use of electronic navigational systems. The first American lighthouse was constructed on Little Brewster Island off of Boston, Mass in 1716 - The lighthouse was destroyed during the Revolutionary War and was rebuilt in 1783 and still stands today. 1719 - First Fog Signal was a cannon placed near Boston Lighthouse. When there was fog, the cannon would be constantly fired to warn ships away from the rocky ledges.

What the Lighthouse of Alexandria looked like (Pharos Lighthouse)

In the year 1716, Electricity was introduced by Britain in 1862 when electric carbon arc lamps were installed at Dungeness lighthouse on the coast of Kent but this source of light did not come into general use until the 1920’s when high powered filament lamps were employed. A small but powerful high

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64 The Millstone Times

October 2019