Utah community groups band together to prevent underage drinking

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CLEARFIELD — Families want to see their children grow up and reach adulthood and keep enjoying life. That's why 16 community partners, including construction and public safety vehicles, took to the roads in Davis County on Thursday to spread the word about underage drinking prevention.

Stickers and signs on cars and other vehicles served as a visual reminder to help open the door for families to have honest, real conversations with their kids about underage drinking prevention.

Research shows kids who start drinking before they're 15 years old are four times more likely to become addicted to alcohol during their lifetime.

In addition, spending a little bit of quality time with family goes a long way. We're told parents who spend at least 10 to 15 minutes with their child every day and get involved with what their child enjoys are less likely to drink while underage.

Utah data shows parents are strong influencers, with strong parental disapproval of underage drinking marking the No. 1 reason kids choose not to drink.

"Having the parents being able to talk to their children about the risk of underage drinking helps us be able to prevent that and helps them grow up with healthy minds, and just be able to not have the addiction that can come with underage drinking," said Gladyris Larsen, chair of North Davis Communities That Care.

The meet-up happened Thursday at Morgan Pavement Headquarters.

Last year, they said they had 181 vehicles driving across the state. Driving two million miles worth, they carried the message about underage drinking prevention.

This year, they're back on the roads spreading the same message.