Last spring, a rash of teenage drinking and driving crashes claimed the lives of
eleven South Dakota teenagers. The crash reports were heart-wrenching and the
rate at which we were losing teenagers was incredibly alarming.
Although, as a state, South Dakota had a large number of proven prevention and
treatment programs in place, it wasn't enough to stop alcohol-related crashes
involving teenagers.
Clearly, we needed to do more. Already the state was spending millions of
dollars on grassroots campaigns to discourage drinking and discourage drinking
and driving. There were prevention programs in schools and law enforcement was
spending thousands of hours making safety presentations to youth. What were we
missing?
We realized that no matter how hard we tried, no matter what programs we put in
place, or the number of dollars we spent, the state, treatment professionals,
law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, or educators could not get the message
across the way parents could. The solution to teen alcohol use HAS to start at
home.
That realization inspired us to launch the “Parents Matter” campaign. The goal:
to educate parents, energize them to reconnect with their children, and to have
real meaningful conversations with their kids about the dangers of drinking. The
campaign also established a new commitment from attorneys to prosecute people
who provide alcohol to minors and a working relationship with alcohol beverage
retailers to limit underage sales.
We realize there is a lot more work to be done when it comes to underage
drinking and drinking and driving and we welcome your feedback. If you have
ideas or concerns, please email us at dpsinfo@state.sd.us.
Also, I encourage you to explore the South Dakota “Parents
Matter” website.
Best wishes,
Tom Dravland |
Contact Us at:
parentsmattercsd@yahoo.com
|
