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I don't know why, exactly, we pick prom time to talk about teen traffic safety, but we do.
I guess it's because it's kind of a party time, with kids perhaps tempted to drink and drive.
But it doesn't really matter why we talk about it this time of year. There is no bad time to talk about teens and safe driving.
There have been a few alarming incidents around here recently.
Last month, on two separate occasions, teens were arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated.
In one incident, a 17-year-old was arrested after being stopped for driving erratically and having a headlight out.
In another incident, a 17-year-old was arrested after crashing his car and injuring himself. Another 17-year-old in the car also was under the influence of alcohol.
Another accident just this past week involved two teen-agers - one 16 and one 19. Charges of driving while intoxicated and illegal consumption are pending.
In a way, it's hard to understand. Now, more than ever, kids are bombarded with the message: "Don't drink and drive."
They hear it all the time. They get it drilled into them in driver's education. I am sure their parents counsel them against it.
There are MADD and SADD and all manner of leaflets, pamphlets and booklets available to them.
But they still go out and drink and drive.
I remember what it was like to be a teen-ager. I remember what it was like to know everything. I remember what it was like to be invincible.
I suppose that's why teens ignore all that advice from their elders and their peers. That's why they go out and drink and drive anyway.
Later in life, teens figure out that they really weren't invincible and really didn't know everything. I did. Luckily for me, I made it through the know-everything invincible stage in one piece.
Not all teens do.
I suppose that's the point of this column. I wish they all could make it through those teen years without serious incident.
So here's my feeble attempt at reasoning with teens about drinking and driving.
First of all, I don't think kids think about driving as a skill that takes time to develop.
They think they can just jump right in the car and drive. Sure, those first few moments behind the wheel seem a little awkward, but within minutes they feel like they're ready for the Indy 500.
They're not.
It takes time to learn how to handle a car properly. Experience teaches you how to accurately judge things like stopping distances and speed through curves. Experience helps you understand slick conditions, reaction times and how long it takes to pass.
It doesn't happen overnight. It's an acquired skill. It takes time to learn.
Speed is the biggest factor. The faster a car is moving, the less time you have to react in case of emergency.
I don't think young drivers understand how exponentially that reaction-time curve sweeps upward.
Teens seem to think they're better drivers than they are. They think youth is an important factor that somehow makes them better drivers than their elders.
But that simply isn't true.
Car crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens. Period.
Indiana teens make up only 6.1 percent of Indiana's licensed drivers but they account for 14.3 percent of total drivers involved in accidents.
In Indiana, the percentage of traffic fatalities involving teens is well above the national average - 18.4 percent in Indiana vs. 11.8 percent for the U.S. average.
About one in four of all licensed Indiana teens were involved in a crash in 1996.
Are you getting the picture? You aren't the road smart, savvy drivers you think you are.
And that's just driving.
That's not drinking and driving.
When you throw booze into the picture, it's a recipe for disaster.
Inexperienced drivers are marginally capable of controlling a vehicle in the first place. Under the influence of alcohol, the situation becomes one of impending tragedy.
Some teens get lucky. They avert the tragedy. Some get arrested. Some get hurt. Some die.
The sad part is that much of the tragedy could be avoided so easily if kids would follow some simple safety tips.
• Wear your seat belt - always. It's the law.
• Slow down.
• Never drink and drive.
• Don't drive when tired.
• Don't take chances - drive smart.
No teen leaves the house thinking, "Hmmm, I think I'll crash my car and die today."
But it happens every day.
If you think it can't happen to you, you're wrong. Dead wrong.
Being a teen is all about having fun. You can have fun without drinking, without driving fast, without taking chances.
So have fun at your prom.
And please, don't make me write any headlines about you the next day.
