Prom and graduation should be a time of pure joy for high school seniors and the people who love them. But every year, this season can also be a time of sadness for too many families. That’s because along with these important milestones come many opportunities for underage drinking and driving.
Each year, communities across the country mourn the deaths of teenagers involved in a car crash that resulted from underage drinking at a prom or graduation party. A survey of more than 2,500 high school juniors and seniors conducted in 2010 found that 90 percent believed their peers are more likely to drink and drive on prom night and 79 percent believe the same is true of graduation night. However, only 29 percent of teens say that driving on prom night is very dangerous; 25 percent believe the same is true for graduation night.
Adults have to take the lead in making sure that teens don’t get hold of alcohol on these occasions and in educating teens about the dangers of drinking and driving. Parents, of course, are the most important adults in a teen’s life and so must play a key role in making sure their kids don’t drink and drive.
Other adults in a teenager’s life, including school nurses and pediatricians, can and should step forward to enforce this message, although it isn’t always obvious to school nurses how they can keep students from drinking and driving.
Our community in Erlanger, Kentucky, provides a model of how school nurses can work together with other adults to keep our kids alcohol free. We work with a community group called the Kenton County Alliance on a campaign called “Sticker Shock,” which is designed to reach adults who might purchase alcohol legally and provide it to minors. We go into convenience stores and other places that sell packaged beer and ask them to place a sticker on alcohol packages listing the legal consequences of buying alcohol for minor consumption. It’s our way of reminding adults, including parents, that it’s not OK to serve teenagers alcohol, even if it’s on their own property. It’s illegal no matter where you do it.
I like to tell parents that even though it often doesn’t seem like it, your kids really do listen to you. You may think that your teenager is going to do what they want no matter what you say, but you still need to talk to them about the dangers of drinking and driving. Remind them not to get into a car with a drunk driver—and start the conversation before prom night.
Other things parents can do include setting a curfew for prom and graduation parties, not allowing your teen to go to a party at a hotel unless you know an appropriate adult is there to supervise, and making sure they know you will be up when they get home.
Keeping teens safe at this time of year is a lot easier if parents, schools and other adults who work regularly with teens join forces. Let’s help them have wonderful prom and graduation memories that will last a lifetime.