Celebrate Safe During Prom and Graduation

April 24, 2008
Contact: Elise Schaffer, PIO Phone: (608) 284-6142 Email: schaffer@co.dane.wi.us
Sheriff's Office

Spring is an exciting time of year for high school students with ceremonies, proms and graduation celebrations to attend. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office wants to remind youth and their parents to celebrate safe. According to the Center for Disease Control, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury in teenagers nationwide. Even though teens are less likely than adults to drive after drinking, their crash rates are substantially higher. The following tips can help keep your teen safe and make these special occasions a time to enjoy and remember fondly: · Who will be doing the driving? Have a list of names and phone numbers of the passengers. Limit the number of passengers and remind everyone to buckle up. · Get a complete itinerary of your teens plans. Insist that no changes will be made to the plan without prior approval. · Make sure your teen knows how to contact you throughout the evening. Consider arranging check-in times. · Find out who will be supervising the events and after-parties. Speak directly with the chaperones to make sure your expectations are the same. · Have a detailed conversation with your teen about alcohol and drug use. As in past years, the Dane County Sheriff’s Office has received a $12,000.00 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Safety to conduct “party patrols”, and alcohol compliance checks with local businesses licensed to sell alcohol. This specialized enforcement scheduled to begin next week, is intended to combat the sale of alcohol to underage buyers and to provide an increased presence in areas that have been determined to be at risk for underage drinking parties. The goal of the program is to reduce the number of youth alcohol involved crashes on our roadways. ###