Prepare for prom with safety in mind

By TERRI PELGER
The Review – March 2002

Prom Season is here.

There is more to preparing for the prom than buying a dress and renting a tuxedo. There is the issue of safety for those teens who will be on the roads in the early morning hours. According to Gary Direnfeld, executive director of “I Promise Program,” more females will be a passenger of a male teen driver on prom night than any other time of the year.
Direnfeld, a social worker who has worked with teens and families for over 25 years, developed the program when his own son reached driving age.
When factors such as speeding, alcohol use, multiple passengers and driving between midnight and 3 a.m. come together as they do on prom night, the results increase the probability of car crashes. According to a report, 77 percent of speeding drivers involved in fatal accidents between those hours were intoxicated.
Direnfeld offers the following tips for parents:
— Check the brakes and fluid and make sure the vehicle is in its best mechanical shape.
— Limit the number of passengers your teen is allowed to transport. The risk of a car crash goes up for each passenger added.
— Be a good role model by not drinking and driving yourself. Tell your teen not to drink and drive, and lead by example.
— Insist that your teen and all passengers wear a seat belt. Be an example.
— Do not allow your teen to drive after midnight. If transportation is required then, make alternative arrangements.
The “I Promise Program” is a program in which parents and teens enter into a mutual safe driving contract to ensure safe driving every night of the year, including prom.
For more information, visit www.ipromiseprogram.com