Keeping Teens Safe at Prom

Prom night is coming soon for many teenagers around the world. With this night unfortunately, many deaths will occur around our world. Why? Teens drink before, during in some cases and after their prom. Then they get behind the wheel of a car and nothing good will ever come of that! What steps can you as a concerned parent, teacher, educator or just a concerned citizen who will be on the road that night do about this? Sometimes it not you the driver you have to worry about it's the others on the road, such as drunk teenagers.

In my town here on Long Island and many others close to me they have taken many steps to try to ensure that our teens are safe on this night. If your town does not do these following things maybe it is time to go to a PTA meeting or contact the principal and convince them to change their policy's where prom night is concerned. Work together as a community and help to make this night as safe as you possibly can.

In my Long Island community and surrounding communities each one is different, some offer a pre-prom party, where attendance is mandatory and the whole town opens up to them and has a party right in the center of their town. In my particular community prom is done the day BEFORE graduation! This prevents many of those non-stop weekend drinking and traveling, as there are rules of the night, and not adhering to them revokes graduation. This was not always this way, as I also attended prom in this same town, but many incidents over the years has prompted many changes.

The parents in the community work closely together to get limos for the teenagers, no one should be allowed to drive to their prom and parent's chipping in on this expense is a great idea. Prom is also monitored very closely by volunteers and any thought of drinking being done during prom is tested on the spot and if the teen has been drinking then they cannot attend graduation the next day.

After prom they do have some free time, which the next step once again helps to ensure no funny business. There is a MANDATORY breakfast in which all seniors must attend, last year this was done at a local pool; some schools have a breath test during this time. Any teen tested and failed does not graduate that night. After the breakfast they have to go to the school for a graduation rehearsal practice, attendance mandatory. By the time they are done with the rehearsal it is time to get ready for their graduation festivities. These steps have prevented many incidents, if prom is the day before graduation it may not stop everything that may go on after the actual graduation, but it certainly has changed a lot of the stories heard here in many of the Long Island communities.

Please read the following article:

http://rogermcintire.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/new-deadly-threat-to-teenagers/

Once you read the statistics found in this article and think of your own teens upcoming prom hopefully, your eyes are open and you will take steps to ensure that your teens night is as safe as it can possibly be and together we all can save lives and change those statistics! Prom night is very scary to parents, but knowing as many measures have been taken to help have a safe night, can help ease some of the fears that you will experience. Let's all make a difference and stop what we can!

This was originally published on Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-33498-Long-Island-Parenting-Teens-Examiner