Prom Season, Summer Vacation Mean Teens at Higher Risk on the Roads

Car crashes involving teens rise during prom season and summer break. Auto accident attorneys with Jacksonville’s Harrell and Harrell offer tips for keeping your kids safe. The high school prom season is well underway and summer vacation is just around the corner. Both mean more teenagers on the road and many of them throw caution to the wind while in a celebratory mood. Unfortunately, the celebration quickly turns to mourning for family and friends of teens lost in prom night or summer car crashes, often fueled by underage drinking. The rate of car crashes involving teens rises during the prom season, and hits an annual peak from early June to late August, dubbed the “100 Deadliest Days” for teens on the road. But there are ways to help keep your teenager from becoming a tragic statistic.

• Make sure you know where and with whom your teen will be before, during and after the dance.
• Limit the number of prom-goers in one vehicle if a teen is driving.
• Better yet, splurge for a limo. It’ll impress the kids, and assure that a sober adult is behind the wheel.
• Set a strict curfew. The later teens stay out, the higher the risk of an accident.
• Make it clear that alcohol or drug use will not be tolerated and will result in your teen’s driving privileges being taken away.
• Assure your teens that you’re willing to pick them up if another driver drinks or if other trouble arises. Or, give your teen a list of taxi company phone numbers to call for a safe ride home.
• Remind teens that even if they follow all the rules, others on the road may not.

Prom and summer vacation should be a fun time that teens will remember fondly the rest of their lives. If your child is injured in a car crash, get medical treatment immediately. Then, contact an experienced auto accident attorney with Jacksonville’s Harrell and Harrell, providing services throughout Northeast Florida, Orlando and South Georgia. Call 800-251-1111 or complete our online case evaluation form.