Getting Dressed Up For An Alcohol Related Accident

With prom and graduation right around the corner, these next few months should be some of the happiest moments of one’s teenage years, not a time clouded by tragedy. Sadly the two seem to go hand in hand more often than they should.

Annually, parents and communities nationwide are forced to face the sad reality of mourning the death of a young life cut off before its prime. A national study of more than 2,500 eleventh and twelfth graders found that 90 percent of teens believe their peers are more likely to drink and drive on prom night, and that 79 percent believe that the same holds true for graduation night. However, this belief doesn’t necessarily translate to concern over the dangers of drinking and driving on prom and graduation night. According to the study only 29 percent and 25 percent of teens say that driving on prom night and graduation night, respectively, is dangerous.

Every year between the months of April, May, and June, YouTube, Facebook, newspapers, and television alike are laden with tales of tragedy about careless and drunk driving on prom and graduation nights. Unfortunately, an “it won’t happen to me” attitude has become prevalent in teens today diminishing the truth that this is a very real problem- Alcohol abuse.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2007, there were 380 teen alcohol-related fatalities during prom and graduation season. In 2001 alone, there were 1,012 fatalities of children under the age of 21 as a result of alcohol-related traffic fatalities.

It’s no secret that children under the age of 21 are drinking alcohol. To help keep teenagers safe during these monumental occasions, Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) recommend that parents maintain an open line of communication with their children in regards to drinking, and set clear and straight-forward rules for major events such as prom and graduation.

Prom and Graduation should be joyous occasions for everyone, where kids get dressed up for dancing and fancy dinners- Not for funerals.

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