It's no secret that prom season is one of the riskiest times of year
for teens. Teen traffic deaths, for example, are higher now than even
summer vacation. The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration says that roughly 300 teens die every year during prom weekend
due to alcohol-related car crashes. Even worse, 1/3 of young adult and
teen deaths involving drinking and driving occur during graduation season
and prom weekend. So why is it that 10% of parents interviewed by the
American Medical Association believe it's perfectly OK for underage
teens to attend graduation AND prom parties where alcohol is being served?
And more importantly, how can we prevent these needless tragedies? For
starters, you need to have a serious discussion with your teen before
prom. That means getting a complete, detailed itinerary—who they'll
be with, where they're going, and multiple contact numbers in case
you need to reach them. That also means reaching a mutual agreement on
a curfew. Remember to underline just how dangerous drinking and driving
can be on prom night, when distractions are high and can add up to a recipe
for disaster. Make it perfectly clear that they must not be driven by
anyone who has drank or used drugs, and ensure your chosen limo service
has a strict no-alcohol policy in their vehicles. And if your teen isn't
coming straight home after prom, you need to guarantee some sort of line
of communication at all times, no matter where they are and who they're
with. Set up a handful of mandatory check-in calls with your teen at various
points through the night, even if they're heading to a party or a
friend's house afterward. The second half of this open line of communication
is that your teens need to feel no shame in calling you for help at any
point, for any reason. Hopefully they won't need to ask for your help,
but in the event of an emergency you always want that option on the table—free
of stress or condemnation on your part. Regardless of where your kids
are going or how late they're staying out, having an open, candid
conversation with them is your best bet at avoiding prom season mishaps
and making your teen's prom as safe, fun and memorable as possible.
#promseason #drinkingatprom #teendriving
Administration says that roughly 300 teens die every year during prom weekend
due to alcohol-related car crashes. Even worse, 1/3 of young adult and
teen deaths involving drinking and driving occur during graduation season
and prom weekend. So why is it that 10% of parents interviewed by the
American Medical Association believe it's perfectly OK for underage
teens to attend graduation AND prom parties where alcohol is being served?
And more importantly, how can we prevent these needless tragedies? For
starters, you need to have a serious discussion with your teen before
prom. That means getting a complete, detailed itinerary—who they'll
be with, where they're going, and multiple contact numbers in case
you need to reach them. That also means reaching a mutual agreement on
a curfew. Remember to underline just how dangerous drinking and driving
can be on prom night, when distractions are high and can add up to a recipe
for disaster. Make it perfectly clear that they must not be driven by
anyone who has drank or used drugs, and ensure your chosen limo service
has a strict no-alcohol policy in their vehicles. And if your teen isn't
coming straight home after prom, you need to guarantee some sort of line
of communication at all times, no matter where they are and who they're
with. Set up a handful of mandatory check-in calls with your teen at various
points through the night, even if they're heading to a party or a
friend's house afterward. The second half of this open line of communication
is that your teens need to feel no shame in calling you for help at any
point, for any reason. Hopefully they won't need to ask for your help,
but in the event of an emergency you always want that option on the table—free
of stress or condemnation on your part. Regardless of where your kids
are going or how late they're staying out, having an open, candid
conversation with them is your best bet at avoiding prom season mishaps
and making your teen's prom as safe, fun and memorable as possible.
#promseason #drinkingatprom #teendriving