{"id":15620,"date":"2019-08-01T00:00:58","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T00:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/madd.org\/?p=15620"},"modified":"2022-06-13T07:27:54","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T07:27:54","slug":"back-to-school-safety-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madd.org\/back-to-school-safety-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to School Safety Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Helen Marie and her brother, John, pose on the patio for a snapshot.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I still remember my daughter\u2019s first day of third grade. That morning, Helen Marie and her younger brother, John, posed on the brick patio with their new lunch boxes\u2014the latest in a series of back-to-school snapshots.<\/p>\n

By that afternoon, though, disappointment had replaced any first-day excitement Helen Marie felt. She didn\u2019t know any of the new faces in her class, and she felt nervous and unsure of herself. I suggested she try to find a classmate the next day who might feel the same way. She did, and made a lifelong friend.<\/p>\n

Back-to-school can be an anxious and exciting time. It can also means more time on the road. As you make your own memories \u2014 shopping for supply lists, picking out new lunchboxes, perhaps \u2014 I hope you\u2019ll also take the time to talk to your kids about what it means to be a safer rider.<\/p>\n

It goes without saying that every child deserves a sober driver, every time. Yet tragically, more than 200 children die in alcohol-impaired driving crashes each year. And of those killed, more than half were riding with<\/em> the drunk driver.<\/p>\n

Please make sure your child knows they should never get in a car with someone who has been drinking. And if they ever feel unsafe in a car, tell a trusted adult as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

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