NEw Nebraska Underage Drinking Tip Line
by Carol Braun on March 20, 2009
The Gage County MAPS Coalition is pleased to announce that there
is a new,
state-wide Nebraska Underage Drinking Tip Line sponsored by the
Nebraska
Office of Highway Safety. Anyone can call the toll-free tip line
at
1-866-MUST-B-21 to anonymously report a minor drinking alcohol or
trying to
purchase it. It also can be used to report adults selling or
providing
alcohol to those under age 21 or hosting underage parties.
Tara Kuipers, Director of the Gage County MAPS Coalition, is
excited about
the new line covering the entire state. "The new hotline was
created
because the success of similar ones in Gage County and others parts
of
Nebraska," said Kuipers.
The Gage County MIP Hotline, in existence since April 2007, is
being phased
out in the upcoming months. It has been identified as a tool for
law
enforcement to pursue underage drinking crimes, and for community
members
taking a stand against illegal alcohol-related activities going on
in their
communities. Kuipers says they hope the statewide line will be used
in the
same way.
The Gage County MIP Hotline will remain in service for a short time
while
the MAPS Coalition and other agencies spread the word on the new
number.
However, the new 1-866-MUST-B-21 Tip Line is now active and
Kuipers
recommends community members begin using it immediately. "We'd like
people
to get into the habit of calling the new number, since the Gage
County MIP
Hotline will be phased out in the next few months."
"Since almost everyone these days has a cell phone, take a moment
and
program it in to your phone," says Kuipers. "It's easy to remember,
and we
never want a community member to be without it when they need it."
Kuipers
shared that the MAPS Coalition will be distributing magnets and
small
information cards with the tip line imprint. "Many of our law
enforcement
agencies also have the cards available if you stop in." A
billboard
replacing the Gage County MIP Hotline will be erected soon, Kuipers
shared.
The Nebraska Office of Highway Safety, the agency responsible for
creating
the new 1-866-MUST-B-21 tip line, is working to curb underage
drinking in
Nebraska. National highway statistics show alcohol is a factor in
nearly a
third of all deadly crashes involving 15- to 20-year-old drivers,
and
according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 5,000 people under 21
die each
year due to underage drinking.
Information distributed by the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety
describes
that it is illegal in Nebraska for anyone under age 21 to purchase,
attempt
to purchase, possess, or consume alcohol. It is also illegal for to
sell or
provide alcohol to someone under age 21, or to allow property they
own or
rent to be used for minors to consume alcohol.
For more information on the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety
MUST-B-21 tip
line, you can contact their Lincoln office at 402-471-2515 or the
Gage
County MAPS Coalition at 402-223-1500 x 1059.