Dangers of Drinking on Prom Night
Underage Drinking on Prom Night Associated with Drunk Driving Fatalities
Prom is supposed to be a night to remember, but unfortunately for many high school students, the result is a tragic night they don’t ever want to remember.
Senior prom comes close to graduation; it is a time when high school students are beginning to feel a sense of new found freedom, with the beginning of summer break and their move to college in the fall. With this party mindset and perhaps new feeling of “maturity,” most teens will drink on the night of prom, despite being underage.
When teens choose to drink on prom night, they are putting themselves at more serious risks than suffering from a hangover the next morning.
Teens who drink on the night of their prom may also be likely to drink and drive, be a passenger in a car of someone who has been drinking, be injured by another drunk driver or cause death and/or injury to another person.
An article, by The Huffington Post, reports these startling facts:
- “According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, for the past several years during prom weekend, approximately 300 teens have died in alcohol-related car accidents.”
- “Also according to the NHTSA, one in three children under age 21 who died in alcohol-related accidents died during prom and graduation season.”
What is also troubling, is that many parents host post-prom parties at their homes, where their child and his/her friends can drink in a “safe” environment. Not only is this illegal, but heavy alcohol consumption, no matter where it takes place, is never safe.
If you or someone you know is going to prom, urge them NOT to drink on prom night! Take a pledge to stay safe and sober!
Full Huffington Post article, which includes advice to parents about how to keep their teens safe on prom night.
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