What Are the Links Between Drunk Driving & Prom Night?

Sobriety and safety. They are the two most important factors to consider when parents and their teenagers plan high school prom celebrations. Statistics show that many of the deaths involving teenagers in the months of April, May and June occur because of alcohol-related accidents. In 2004, for example, during prom and graduation season, 713 youths under the age of 21 died in alcohol-related traffic accidents nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

A Critical Decision

• When prom season arrives, teens face some important decisions: who to invite to the prom, what to wear, how to get there, what to do afterward, and maybe most importantly, whether alcohol and drugs will be involved in the event. In a 2006 press release for a Gallup survey on underage drinking, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company spokesman Bill Windsor cited the NHTSA's 2004 report on alcohol-related prom season deaths, saying, "These are preventable deaths. We are encouraging communities to make a two-fold commitment. We want teens to pledge to be alcohol free on prom night. We want parents to pledge to host alcohol-free prom parties."

Encouraging Sobriety

• Nationwide Insurance sponsors a Prom Promise program in conjunction with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The program, coupled with MADD's BuzzFree Prom promotion and made available to high schools throughout the nation, pushes a positive, pledge-based initiative that promotes "smart, healthy and legal choices about alcohol and other drugs." Participating schools receive a pledge banner, pledge sheets, safety posters, a DVD for an assembly and BuzzFree cards, stickers and buttons. For more online information on an alcohol- and drug-free prom, go to Buzzfree.org (see Resources).

After the Prom

• There are plenty of ideas for post-prom, chaperoned activities. Students can attend parties in private homes, at amusement parks and in school-sponsored locations such as banquet halls and restaurants. There is one important caveat for these get-togethers -- no one may leave and come back in. Some schools offer prizes, such as televisions, stereos and dorm refrigerators, at the end to encourage everyone to stay.

Parental Advice

• Parents should insist on getting a firm itinerary for their child's prom night, says the Student Assistance Services Corp. of Tarrytown, N.Y. It might be a good idea to have the students stop at home after the prom and before the post-prom party to assess their frame of mind. If it appears that the teenagers may have been drinking, make them stay home, the group suggests. Also, if the students choose to be transported in a limousine, talk to the driver and make sure he has a valid operator's license. Also, see if the limousine service will sign a "prom safety contract" promising not to allow alcohol in the vehicle.