New public service ads on television and online will remind teenagers in West Virginia that drinking and driving is the ‘ultimate party foul.” On Oct. 19, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council announced that they were launching a nationwide public service campaign in honor of National Teen Driver Safety Week.

Although the legal drinking age is 21, almost one-third of underage drivers who are killed in car accidents consumed alcohol before the fatal crash. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States, and about half of the teens who die in car crashes were driving. A spokesman for the NHTSA said that the goal of the new public service campaign is to remind teens that drinking and driving can have irreparable and fatal consequences.

The NHTSA and the Ad Council used an iPhone to film the public service ads. The ads contrast minor ‘party fouls” like tripping over a lamp and spilling a drink with the ‘ultimate party foul” of drinking and driving. People who view the ads are directed towards a website with more information about the consequences of drunk driving auto accidents. Outdoor ads and web banner ads will also be included in the public service campaign.

A person who was injured by a drunk teen driver can claim financial compensation from the negligent driver’s insurance provider. If the driver was uninsured, a lawyer may be able to help the car accident victim to pursue other avenues for obtaining compensation. An injured car accident victim can pursue a claim against a drunk driver even if the victim was riding in the drunk driver’s vehicle.