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Is your teen safe during prom season?

| May 13, 2016 | Underage DUI |

Parents may remember their proms with fondness, but the fact remains that teens today are at higher risk of getting into a collision during the final three months of the school year — April, May and June.

Approximately a third of the teens who die from incidents involving alcohol die during what is generally thought of as prom and graduation season, a time when alcohol and other drugs may be used by underage minors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provides data indicating that annually about a thousand young adults age 20 and younger lose their lives due to preventable tragedies associated with these rites of passage celebrations.

Perhaps the most distressing factor about these unnecessary deaths and the non-fatal injuries that accompany them is that many underage drinkers report getting the alcohol from their own parents, or the mothers and fathers of their friends.

Providing alcohol to minors is illegal, but should those minors consume that alcohol and go on to maim or kill others in a collision, the adults that furnish the booze could face huge liabilities for the damages the teens cause.

Parents can prevent these tragedies from occurring by communicating openly with their prom-going teens while also setting clear boundaries. Below are some tips to make your teen’s prom night safer.

— Much of the danger comes from unsupervised post-prom activities. Parents can work together to provide fun but safe and supervised after-prom activities in a community location or private home to keep kids off the highways and out of harm’s way.

— Have firm rules about not drinking and driving or riding with those who do. Promise your teen to provide them with a safe ride home if necessary,

— Pool resources to rent limos or chauffeur-driven party buses for several couples on prom night.

— Have designated times for your teen to check in via phone throughout the evening and early morning hours.

If an accident does occur, filing a claim for damages against the insurance company of the at-fault driver can result in a cash settlement and covered medical bills.

Source: Verywell.com, “Dangerous Season for Teens,” Buddy T, accessed May 13, 2016

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