Students who drove to school today probably noticed the mock car crash that is sponsored annually by Lifelines. It serves as a yearly reminder right before prom that decisions made on one night may affect the rest of a young person’s life. Though undoubtedly students have heard Lifelines’ message before, they must remember it when enjoying prom and other activities this weekend.

Several statistics make the message behind the mock car crash even more poignant. According to parentingteens.com, 70 percent of teens who are killed on their prom weekends have not worn seatbelts.  Wearing a seatbelt is a simple way to protect oneself while driving, especially late at night when visibility and alcohol consumption of other drivers increase. Make sure there is a seat and a seatbelt for every person in the car. And driving way over the speed limit, of course, is out of the question.

Furthermore, according to the same Web site, alcohol is the biggest youth drug problem, as stated by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Its consumption kills six times more people under 21 than the effects of all other illicit drugs combined.

Although this message has been stated in the past, students simply cannot ignore its importance before this weekend. With the devastating losses of students due to car accidents in the past severaProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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years, we must remember that tragedies can and do happen, even to us. Don’t let one of the most exciting nights of high school be your last. There are  plenty of more memories to be made in the future, and taking a few extra minutes to make prom safer will affect the rest of your life.