For teens long weekends are synonymous with having fun with friends but sadly enough they are also all too often fraught with stories of accidental death and tradgedy. Car accidents, drug and alcohol related injury and death, and recreational mishaps are but a few of the ways that teens lose life or limb during long weekend festivities. Here are some tips to keep you as safe as possible while not ruining your fun.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: N/A
Here's How:
- This may seem like a no-brainer but since car accidents are the leading cause of death in people ages 15-21 it's worth repeating, ad nausem if necessary... DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE! Don't do drugs and drive. Don't get in the car with a driver who has, or may have, done drugs or drank alcohol. Even if that driver is an adult.
- Don't pack your car with too many people. Sharing seat belts or going without is a recipe for disaster. If there aren't enough seat belts for every passenger than there isn't room.
- Speeding is always a bad idea but speeding on unfamiliar roadways is a real danger in the making. When you don't know the twists, turns and bumps in a road speeding through the area can land you in some real trouble.
- When going away for the weekend know the people you are going with and know them well. Tell your parents all of their names, the names of their parents and contact numbers where you'll be and how to reach your friends' parents in case of emergency. Never, ever, lie about where you will be or who you will be with. This is asking for trouble and it will be you who pays the price.
- It's too simple to just tell teens to stay away from drugs and alcohol. In a perfect world this would go without saying but this world isn't perfect. That said, never take anything from a stranger. Never leave your drinks, alcoholic or not, unattended. Don't try anything new when you're out of town and far away from medical services.
- It's a funmy irony that people default to trusting strangers. In fact, we are often more trusting of a perfect stranger than we are of people we already know. When you are out of town this can be a dangerous trait. When you were little your parents told you not to talk to strangers and it was a simple rule to follow. When you are on holiday woth friends meeting strangers is usually part of the plan so this rule often goes out the window. So remember there is strength in numbers and never go to a stranger's party alone, always have at least 2 friends in tow and stay together at all times.
- Stay in regular contact with the friends you are travelling with and with family back home. If you make arrangemets to call your parents everyday at the same time and stick to it they will know to contact the people you are with if they don't hear from you and this could help if something has happened to you. A good idea is to make a pact with friends to leave messages with the hotel concierge every time you go somewhere new so you and your friends can keep tabs on one another even if cell phones aren't working.
- Finally, and this can't be stressed enough, never LIE about what you are doing, where you are going, how you are getting there and who you are with. What may seem like a harmless lie could be the lie that costs you everything. If your parents don't want you doing something or going somewhere they likely have very good reasons and even of you don't agree with them you should respect them.