Posted on: Sunday, April 17, 2005

Safety measures help keep teens safe on prom night

Knight Ridder News Service

Prom night is a time of celebration for teens, but it also combines some of the deadliest factors for motor vehicle crashes: speeding, alcohol, multiple passengers and driving between midnight and 3 a.m.

Daryl Lynch, chief of adolescent medicine at Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, offers safety measures to discuss with your teen:

• Demand that alcohol not be allowed.

• Make sure the vehicle your teen will be driving is in good working condition.

• Limit the number of passengers your teen will be allowed to transport.

• Insist that everyone in the vehicle wear seat belts at all times.

• Don't allow driving after midnight. Make alternative arrangements (chauffeur, car pool with other parents, taxis) if necessary.

• If renting a limo, parents and passengers should sign a contract allowing the driver to phone parents if alcohol is detected. Insist that only registered passengers be allowed transportation.

• Make sure your teen provides contact phone numbers where he can be reached.