Spring Break 2016 is upon us and as college students shed backpacks for bikinis, we are reminded of past Spring Breaks gone bad and in some cases, deadly. In fact some have involved crime scenarios that scream Deadly Sins Spring Break College Edition.
Why does Spring Break go so wrong for teens and college students? Many experts blame binge drinking which tends to escalate when students escape the stresses of school and are surrounded by easy access to alcohol.
How is binge drinking defined? The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines it as follows:
“NIAAA defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels to 0.08 g/dL. This typically occurs after 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men—in about 2 hours.” [via http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/moderate-binge-drinking]
Spring Break Rape
Spring Break sex and drinking seem to be a dangerous combination. Last year, we saw the viral disturbing video of what appeared to be a gang rape of a young woman that seems to be unconscious. Bystanders nearby appear not to offer the woman any help. And according to Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen, “This is not the first video we’ve recovered. …There’s a number of videos we’ve recovered with things similar to this, and I can only imagine how many things we haven’t recovered.” [CNN. John Murgatroyd, Alexandra Field and Dana Ford, “Panama City gang rape: ‘Spring break as we know it is over'” April 16, 2015. http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/us/florida-panama-city-beach-spring-break/]
See the report by CBS Spring Break Rape video below via YouTube:
Video catches spring break rape on Florida beach; no one helps
“A group assaulted an apparently unconscious woman in the middle of the day during spring break last month, but no one intervened. It was caught on cell phone video. Anna Werner reports on the new details.” [via CBS This Morning YouTube]
According to another CBS report in 2010, Spring Break in Daytona saw 6 rapes reported in one day alone. [via http://www.cbsnews.com/news/spring-break-rape-epidemic-six-reported-so-far-in-daytona-beach/]. Sadly, the trend is only increasing. According to this CNN report by John Murgatroyd, Alexandra Field and Dana Ford, “Panama City gang rape: ‘Spring break as we know it is over'” [CNN, April 16, 2015, http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/us/florida-panama-city-beach-spring-break/]. In Panama City Beach in 2015 there were a reported 1,091 arrests. CNN reports, “202 were drug arrests, compared with 43 last year. Also by comparison, 49 firearms were confiscated into evidence this year, versus nine last year.”
Last year Time Magazine called Spring Break, “a time of hedonism for many college students.” [Time Magazine. By Sabrina Toppa. March 19, 2015. “Most fatalities occur among drivers under 25 and those traveling from out-of-state.” http://time.com/3750449/spring-break-traffic-accidents-cars-alcohol-death/] Toppa added, “But it’s also a dangerous one, with the holiday leading to a sharp jump in traffic fatalities.” Toppa’s article references the Science Daily article released with Economic Inquiry report findings by researcher Michael T. French. It found that there were 16 more traffic deaths during the Spring Break season in the 14 Spring Break counties compared to other months of the year. The fatalities were more common among the under 25 year old age bracket.
It’s not just the automobile fatalities that make Spring Break deadly. In 2015, Fox News reported a 21 year old woman fell to her death from a balcony in Texas. [Fox News. “Woman on Spring Break dies after fall from balcony at South Padre Island hotel.” http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/03/20/woman-on-spring-break-dies-after-fall-from-balcony-at-south-padre-island-hotel.html] It was the third death that week on South Padre Island.
One can only hope Spring Break 2016 is less deadly so our college students can return to school happy and healthy.
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Darren is an accomplished TV personality, attorney, interventionist, keynote speaker, and 'misbehavior expert' who appears constantly on countless TV and radio shows.