Prom season and high school graduations are two of the defining experiences of high school, but the choices teens make while traveling to and from these events shouldn’t define the rest of their lives. Wyandot County Safe Communities Coalition wants to remind parents to talk with teens about the dangers of reckless, drunk, and distracted driving.
One of the riskiest things a teen does is drive a car. In fact, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for teens 15-18 in the United States. Remind young drivers and their passengers to make the right decision to buckle their seat belts, to put down phones and other distractions, and to get a safe ride home when they’re impaired.
To help teens get home safely this prom and graduation season and every day, preach the importance of driver and passenger safety and how one mistake can affect someone’s life forever. Here are some helpful tips to ensure a safe, worry-free evening:
- Encourage wearing a seatbelt. It’s the best accessory!
- Remind teens – it is never ok to ride with an impaired driver or to get behind the wheel when impaired.
- Remind teens to respect the driver by not distracting the driver.
- Know where teens will be spending the evening and stay up until they get home.
Help make this the best and safest prom season ever for your teen. Be a teen’s best influence by talking with them about and exhibiting safe driving practices. Talk to them before the event and assure them that help is always just a phone call away. For more teen driver safety tips follow @WyandotHealth on social media.
