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Prom rides offered as part campaign to curb youth drinking and driving

Cathy Carter/Delaware Public Media

Prom season in Delaware is near and State officials want students to be aware of the dangers of drinking and driving.

The Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement and the Delaware Office of Highway Safety is offering limo rides to a select group of students at Caesar Rodney and Concord High Schools.

The limo will be wrapped in an alcohol prevention message and officials say the prominent display is meant to get prom goers attention. The students being chaperoned will act as ambassadors for making smart choices.

Robert Kracyla, Deputy Director of Delaware’s Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Enforcement says he knows that prom is one of the most memorable events in a teen’s life.

“We want to make sure that that memory is in a positive light so we try to link that to safety,” he notes. “We’re concerned about making that memorable day a safe memorable day, so this program is designed to keep our Delaware teens safe and to raise awareness about underage drinking.”

Automobile crashes are the leading cause of death among teens, and according to National Highway and Transport Safety Administration figures, approximately 32 percent of traffic deaths of 15- to 20-year-olds are alcohol-related.

Kracyla says he’s seen a lot of tragedies during his 34-years in law enforcement and the ones involving young people are the most troubling.

“We look at this as an opportunity to go ahead and make an impact on the front side of an incident as opposed to after its happened and then taking enforcement actions after something’s occurred,” he says. “We’re trying to get on the proactive end of an event and get in front of it before a tragedy does occur.”

 

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