Prom Safety

Letter from Superintendent Hiersche and Middlesex DA Gerry Leone to parents and guardians regarding prom safety:

Dear Middlesex County Parents and Guardians:

With prom and graduation season upon us, we are approaching a fun and exciting time for students and their families. We want to send this letter to urge you to do all that you can to make it a happy and safe time for your teen.

Each year, we lose far too many of our teenagers to motor vehicle crashes, with an increase in alcohol-related traffic fatalities on prom and graduation weekends. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for young adults between the ages of 15-19 and the reality is that many of those deaths are caused by teenage impaired or distracted driving. As a parent or guardian, you have the opportunity to help ensure the safety of your children and others by helping them make the right choices around drinking and driving. You, along with proactive education and the deterrent efforts of law enforcement, are a key component to preventing alcohol-related tragedies.

Additionally, it is important to remember that it is a crime to provide alcohol to those under the age of 21, even at a supervised party at your own home. It is also important to know that if you choose to host a party where you serve alcohol to those under the age of 21, you can be held liable if one of your guests drinks alcohol and harms themselves or others by driving under the influence. Even if you are not actively providing alcohol to under age drinkers, it is a dangerous choice to harbor or allow for teen drinking parties in your home.

It is important to stress to your teens that choices they make can have lasting consequences. It is imperative that they understand that using good judgment, especially when it comes to drugs and alcohol, can save lives. Driving after drinking any amount of alcohol or taking any amount of drugs could potentially result in impairment and a driving under the influence offense. For those under the age of 21, driving under the influence in Massachusetts is defined by a 0.02 blood alcohol level or impairment due to alcohol, and among other substances, marijuana, narcotic drugs, depressants or stimulants. This blood alcohol or impairment level easily can be reached by just one drink or by taking a small amount of prescription or illegal drugs, and it carries the very serious criminal penalties of an OUI offense.
With these dangers, we encourage you to take a number of steps to provide your children with the following alternatives to getting behind the wheel:

• Offer your teens transportation alternatives. Offer to provide your teen rides or to have a sibling or family friend provide rides on prom night. If your teen does not want you to pick them up, oftentimes suggesting a sibling or family friend is a great compromise.
• If you are able to, hire or share professional transportation for your teen’s prom night. Make sure you have a discussion with the driver prior to prom night about your expectations that the ride be alcohol-free. Sometimes these drivers will agree to purchase or furnish alcohol illegally for their minor passengers; you can take steps to prevent this by talking directly with the driver.
• Provide your teen with the phone number of a reputable local taxi company and make plans to pay for your teen’s taxi fare for the night. Remember, this is a small cost to keep your child safe.
• Give your teen a cell phone or other mobile device to communicate with you directly throughout the night. Make sure your own cell phone or mobile device is with you during the evening to facilitate texts or quick calls to check in.

We have seen first-hand the devastating impact that driving under the influence can have on parents, families, friends and communities, and I urge you to be proactive in preventing teenage impaired and distracted driving. We believe these alternatives will help to discourage drinking and driving without infringing on your child’s desire for independence.

This is an exciting time in our young people’s lives and one that we hope will be marked by the celebratory occasion, not a preventable tragedy. Thank you and please contact us with any questions that you may have or if you would like further information on teenage drinking and driving.

Be safe and enjoy this wonderful time of year.

Sincerely,
Steven A. Hiersche, Superintendent, Hopkinton Public Schools

Gerry Leone, Middlesex District Attorney