Ride Like A Friend...Drive Like You Care
Ride Like a Friend…Drive Like You Care is a new program developed by the Kansas Traffic Safety Resource Office with assistance from John Drees of Community Relations with Lawrence Memorial Hospital and Retired State Trooper Tim McCool. The program is a multi-faceted approach at teaching teens the dangers of drinking, state regulations on alcohol and seatbelt use, and the importance of proper driving skills. Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, and many of these deaths could be prevented by paying closer attention to the task at hand- driving.
The program starts out with a picture show of 4 individuals that are seen in a hospital on any given night due to alcohol related issues. Each person’s story is different and traumatic in their own way, and this truthfulness really captivates the attention of teens. For them to see photos and hear stories of people their own age in uncomfortable, dangerous, and life-threatening situations, is a really eye-opening experience.
After learning of what some of the medical consequences of consuming alcohol are, teens are told of the laws in their state regarding alcohol use. This is a great follow up to the medical issues, as teens will often have to deal with legal repercussions of alcohol consumption long after their wounds have healed. After hearing this portion of the presentation there should be no questions left in the minds of these teens about what the consequences of their actions will be.
Finally teens hear a little bit of insight about the causes for teens crashing, which is often reckless driving. Reckless driving can consist of many things, from speeding, texting, talking on the cell phone to even looking for a dropped item on the floorboard. After hearing all of the negative consequences that can occur from drinking and driving it is important for teens to realize that simply by not giving the road 100% of their attention it could end up in the loss of their lives, or that of a friend.
Ride Like a Friend is designed to be performed by people in your community. Your school nurse or someone from your local EMS or Emergency Room can do the medical portion. Your School Resource Officer or local police can do the law enforcement portion, and finally, the third portion can be presented by a strong, safety-minded youth in your school, or by a local public health educator. The program is designed this way so that students will realize that their community does care about them and the choices that youth make. Remember, decreasing underage alcohol use and injuries is a community effort, and Ride Like a Friend is the perfect tool to get that community involvement rolling.
Please contact KTSRO at ktsro@dccca.org, or 800-416-2522 to obtain a copy of the program and for assistance in locating members of your community that can present to your school.
