Spring is the time of renewal, but unfortunately it has also been inscribed in our memory and the memory of countless others as the season of death.
It's the time of year high school teens go overboard in celebrating graduations, proms, other milestones -- and make the mistake of adding alcohol to the mix. Promising lives are cut short.
Despite all of the efforts -- and all of the deaths - disturbing facts remain about youth and drinking. MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) says that half of all 10th graders say they drink alcohol, 30 percent of all 8th graders admit they have tried booze. Worse yet, some of these high schoolers are getting behind the wheel.
The good news is that since 1980, the number of alcohol-related deaths of all ages on the road have been cut in half.
The bad news is 28 people -- teens and adults -- still die in the United States each day from alcohol-related crashes.
One of the most alarming facts is that teens still hold onto the belief that they are somehow invincible. They can drink. They can drive fast. But the consequences are all too real.
With spring here, anti-drunk driving programs in schools are kicking into gear.
Students, school district administration and local coalitions are coming together to raise awareness and raise their voices on the damage underage drinking can do.
Who delivers the message appears to be key.
Lauren Knerr, a 17-year-old senior at Woodstown and member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), said she believes hearing about the consequences of underage drinking from other peers delivers a stronger message.
"I think it really is the group you hang out with. You are more likely to get involved with something your friends are doing. It just takes one person to make a good or bad influence on your social group," Knerr said.
Sadly, for many high school students, the consequences of drinking and driving have touched too close to home. They have seen their own friends die for no reason other than they decided to drink and drive.
Teens need to associate with positive influences.
As hard as it might be, parents need to have a heart-to-heart talk with their kids. It might be awkward, but it's doubtful there's not a parent out there who was tempted to make or did make a wrong decision -- either on their own accord by through the influence of others -- and can connect with their kids.
Spring should be the season to celebrate new life, not mourn lives lost.
It's the time of year high school teens go overboard in celebrating graduations, proms, other milestones -- and make the mistake of adding alcohol to the mix. Promising lives are cut short.
Despite all of the efforts -- and all of the deaths - disturbing facts remain about youth and drinking. MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) says that half of all 10th graders say they drink alcohol, 30 percent of all 8th graders admit they have tried booze. Worse yet, some of these high schoolers are getting behind the wheel.
The good news is that since 1980, the number of alcohol-related deaths of all ages on the road have been cut in half.
The bad news is 28 people -- teens and adults -- still die in the United States each day from alcohol-related crashes.
One of the most alarming facts is that teens still hold onto the belief that they are somehow invincible. They can drink. They can drive fast. But the consequences are all too real.
With spring here, anti-drunk driving programs in schools are kicking into gear.
Students, school district administration and local coalitions are coming together to raise awareness and raise their voices on the damage underage drinking can do.
Who delivers the message appears to be key.
Lauren Knerr, a 17-year-old senior at Woodstown and member of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), said she believes hearing about the consequences of underage drinking from other peers delivers a stronger message.
"I think it really is the group you hang out with. You are more likely to get involved with something your friends are doing. It just takes one person to make a good or bad influence on your social group," Knerr said.
Sadly, for many high school students, the consequences of drinking and driving have touched too close to home. They have seen their own friends die for no reason other than they decided to drink and drive.
Teens need to associate with positive influences.
As hard as it might be, parents need to have a heart-to-heart talk with their kids. It might be awkward, but it's doubtful there's not a parent out there who was tempted to make or did make a wrong decision -- either on their own accord by through the influence of others -- and can connect with their kids.
Spring should be the season to celebrate new life, not mourn lives lost.
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