Every twenty-two minutes, someone dies in an alcohol related car crash. Many of these fatalities are that of teenagers. Underage drinking has become a serious issue on the rise especially with teenagers. One can not say exactly as to why teens are more involved with drinking and driving. Many blame peer pressure, being at the wrong place at the wrong time or just simply making a bad decision. “I think teens drink and drive because of their poor choice, so what if there is peer pressure? They still decide to drive and that is in their hands completely,” said senior Amanda Devol. That is why Berkshire participates in Prom Promise every year. Prom Promise is a seminar that encourages making safe decisions especially on Prom Night and heavily discourages drunk driving at any time. The program doesn’t even ask one not to drink, just to not drive.

            The Prom Promise program consists of stories and speeches from survivors of crashes, people who have caused deaths or accidents and family members who have lost someone close to them in a crash. Following the speakers, a video is shown. It is a short film where a documentary crew followed police to teen car crash scenes. It is real, extremely graphic and eye opening. “I went to Prom Promise last year. The movie made a deep impact on me, you just never see that kind of stuff and don’t think it’ll really ever happen to you,” said Travis Petsock, former West Geauga student. The film holds nothing back; it shows the car, the people involved and people who are killed from the impact of the crash. This strongly gets the point across to the reality of drunk driving and the consequences it may have. It is difficult to hold the tears back; one sees that this can be them or someone they know. Hopefully this will help students make safe decisions and therefore prevent future accidents.

            Unfortunately, the message just doesn’t sink through to some students. Of course some teenagers will still engage in drinking alcohol on prom night and nights after that. A survey in 2005 showed that about 10.8 million persons were consuming alcohol between the ages of 12 and 20. The numbers have grown since then.

If you must drink, be safe and don’t drive. There are several precautions one may take to ensure their safety and others while drinking.  You can give your keys to someone who is not drinking, that way you have to ask for them back and the sober person will hopefully say no. Also, you may have a designated driver for the evening, that way anyone who had been drinking can leave with them whenever needed. Lastly just stay where you are, there is no need for a late night drive, food stop or taking anyone home.

“My mom always told if I am going to drink to just stay at that person’s house; obviously she doesn’t want me drinking in the first place, but she wants me to be safe if I choose to,” said Cody Evans, a junior at Berkshire.

            Alcohol is not a necessity for fun on prom night or any other night. Be safe and make smart decisions for yourself and your friends. Always think of the consequences that could happen with anything and everything you do in life. Be safe this prom Berkshire!