May 13, 2003

Prom Season, but Summer Comes

 
To The Editor:


Prom Season, but Summer Comes

 

We are in the midst of Prom season. The real risk to teens though is still a few weeks off.

 

Parents shake their head in disbelief as they consider their aging teens. They remember how only yesterday they were changing diapers, peddling tricycles and then wobbling on two-wheelers. They remember how much easier it was to keep an eye on them and protect them from the world. There is a sense of anxiety as they contemplate their leaving home and the safety of the nest.

 

Prom season causes so many feelings for parents. They struggle with their teens growing independence and sexuality. As preparations for the Prom are underway and the teens look at adorning themselves with gowns and tuxedo’s, parent’s thoughts turn to health and safety. After the reminiscing they worry about the Prom night specifically. Many parents will look for opportunities to talk with their teen to discuss rules and warn of poor decisions. Some will never find the moment and others will wrestle with the discussion while still others will have sit down for a “serious talk”.

 

So we are in the midst of Prom season across North America. Some have come and gone and others are about to unfold. Reports of carnage, tragedy and death are beginning to come across the newswires. Teens still die and are horribly injured driving to or from the Prom. Post Prom, some parents breathe a sigh of relief while others are mourning loss and destruction. Those feeling loss and destruction face emotional devastation and other tremendous guilt feeling they did not do enough to assure their teens safety.

 

Yes, the Prom is a right of passage for youth, but this is never meant as passage to the hereafter or to a life of disability.

 

Soon though Prom season will be behind us and almost all parents will consider themselves fortunate to have made it through with only countless blessings. This however is a false sense of security for it is not the Prom that poses the greatest risk to teenagers, nor is it drinking, nor is it sex. The greatest risk to the life and well-being of teens is simply driving the family car and the most deadly season is fast approaching, stalking if you will.

 

Many parents still do not realize that teen driver car crashes is the greatest cause of death in teens. In fact in the US, the next four leading causes of death in teens combined, homicide, suicide, cancer and heart disease, do not equal teen driver car crashes alone. This North American epidemic is responsible for over 6,000 deaths and 400,000 injuries – annually. The season with the highest death toll is summer. So with fear of mosquitoes and West Nile Virus gripping the nation and grabbing headlines, it will be mostly car crashes claiming the lives when young persons die.

 

Parents must understand their responsibility in reducing the risk of their teen’s involvement in a crash. We know that speeding, driving past midnight and multiple teen passengers are major risk factors for teen drivers. Not wearing a seatbelt is a surefire way to assure injury and death in the event of a collision. So what is a parent to do?

 

Just as they prepared their teen for the Prom by setting limits and putting plans in place, so too must they approach the issue of teen driving.

 

Just as every toddler needs protection from themselves for things like the stove, the stairs, the cord on window blinds, teenagers need protection from using the vehicle in anyway that could contribute to their risk.

 

Parents can do at least the following to promote their teen’s safety:

 

  1. Wear your seat belt and insist that your teen and all passengers wear theirs too.

 

  1. Limit the number of teen passengers allowed to be driven by your teen. For the first several months of driving there should be no more than one passenger, after that, two passengers and after many months more, three passengers. At no point should teen drivers ever have more than three passengers in the car.

 

  1. Do not allow your teen to use the car after midnight. While many parents enjoy the freedom from chauffeuring, this still remains the safest choice for late night hours.

 

  1. Discuss and share your rules with the parents of your teen’s friends. Do not be held hostage by your teen’s insistence that you not talk to them. Your teen’s life is more important than any embarrassment. The other parents will appreciate your caution and concern. However, if they don’t, that may be a signal to you that your teen should not be driven by there teen.

 

  1. Consider on-line safe driving contracts or programs such as the I Promise Program, www.ipromiseprogram.com that helps parents set clear rules and expectations for responsible road use.

 

So here we are in the midst of Prom season. Some parents are already filled with regret and grief. Some feel the anticipation of the day soon to come and others are reveling in their collective sigh of relief.

 

Most will have made it through the Prom and a sense of security will be felt. It is a false sense though, as the most deadly season is now approaching. Help keep your son’s and daughter’s safer this summer. Don’t let it be the obituary of your child I read, telling me how good a young person this was with an otherwise full life ahead. The epidemic of teen car crashes is greater that any other health issue for teens. You can still help protect them and reduce the risk.

 

Parents, please take heed. Let’s see more kids make it to college.

 

Gary Direnfeld, Executive Director

I Promise Program – teen safe driving initiative.  www.ipromsieprogram.com