Help Keep Your Grads Safe This Season

June is usually considered a month for celebration. 

In addition to the official arrival of summer and the Father’s Day holiday, June also marks the closing of another school year, bringing joy to countless students and teachers who have put in months of hard work dating back to the beginning of school in late August. 

But unfortunately, celebrating can often turn to mourning, as every year a number of students are killed or injured in accidents related to graduation ceremonies. 

Just this weekend there was another such sad story, as three teenagers were killed when the car they were travelling in went airborne in northeast Ohio; the 18-year-old driver was hours away from graduating with his senior class. 

Palm Harbor Patch recently ran a story about how to keep grads safe during prom season, and much of the advice is relevant for this jubilant but dangerous time of year as well. 

One of the more helpful tips we passed along was this simple yet effective pact parents can make with their kids, courtesy of AAA. 

The AAA PROMise is a three-part agreement between AAA, teens celebrating prom and graduation, and parents concerned for the safety of their children:

1) The teen makes the following promise to their parents before celebrating: 

• I promise not to drink alcohol or take drugs.
• I promise not to drive under the influence. 
• I promise not to let my friends drive under the influence.
• I promise my parents I will get home safely.

2) When a teen makes the AAA PROMise, AAA promises to be there for parents and teens to help get everyone home safely during prom and graduation season.

3) If a teen can’t drive home, they are encouraged to call their parent(s) and their parent(s) can call 1-800-AAA-HELP for a FREE tow home of the family vehicle. 

According to MADD, the deadliest driving time for teens are the summer months, May through August. During that period, an average of 399 teens died in traffic accidents as compared to an average of 346 teen deaths during non-summer months. 

Not coincidentally, one of the seven deadliest days on the road for teens during this time is June 10, according to the site, which coincides with a number of schools' graduation ceremonies. 

With two area high schools set to have graduation ceremonies this week, please remember to talk your kids, read the advice given on the AAA and MADD websites, and help ensure your grad has a safe and successful start to the summer.