Limo and Prom Night Situational Awareness Questions to ASK

GOODYEAR, Ariz. - April 23, 2014 - PRLog -- Parents- watch out! Prom season is officially here, and for teenagers that means three possible temptations: Smoking, drinking, and for some, drugs. All of these things will be at your child's prom- and if they're not, at the after party for sure.

But what many parents don't realize is that some of this begins before prom even starts. That limo your 18 year old rented to get to prom in style can be a very dangerous place if filled with the wrong people. What's even scarier is that many parents don't even know what limo company is taking their kids, or what the consequences are if something goes wrong.

Here is one example: a prom and limo situation presented at the last situational awareness meeting. Two teens hunted all around for a deal, and ended up finding an 'awesome price' from a family friend whose children went to their parent's business. Half-off a thousand dollar rental is great when teens need to scrape the bottom of the barrel for prom.

The only problem was, when one girl asked for the name of the limo company, she was refused. Why? Because her dad wanted to call and check up on the company's credentials.

The dad had a background in safety, security, & law enforcement, and when his little girl went anywhere, he needed to know who was driving and who was responsible. He had seen too many real-life horror stories to let her go anywhere in a limo without knowing the company.

Parents, it is essential to know what can go wrong with hiring a limo for prom. At 17 and 18, high school seniors have a bright future ahead, and letting one night ruin graduation and scholarships is beyond ridiculous.

In this situation, the two girls who hired the limo didn't want to tell a responsible adult and jeopardize the deal (or maybe the driver who wouldn't have said much about drinking in the limo). What they didn't realize is, having a parent who knows how to ask the right questions can stop something from going terribly wrong.

Some limo companies do not screen drivers carefully. What if the driver is not responsible? If he goes out and drinks before picking up the kids?

The Detroit Red Wings can attest to this- two members of the team were robbed of promising careers after their limousine driver- who was driving on a revoked license- crashed the limo into a tree. If it can happen to professional hockey players who hire the best, what could happen with a limo company without such high stakes?

But the drivers and the company aren't the only elements of the limo that need to be screened by parents. What about the other teenagers in the limo?

Say that after prom, the limo is pulled over by the police. One teen might have alcohol or drugs on them. More likely, drinking has been going on openly in the limo.

Even if your teenager has not been drinking, just being in the car with a teenager who is underage and drunk, or underage and in possession of alcohol, can get them arrested and hauled to the station. If your teen is 18, they can be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, depending on local laws.

Social responsibility also lies with the school promoting the prom and the leadership within the school. Educators should be making sure that prom is safe by advocating for good decision making and education on dangers that come up on prom night.

Schools need to reinforce the awareness level of danger at prom- a school sponsored event. They don't advocate for situational awareness in cultural thinking. The ramifications from one error can spread to scholarships, college admissions, and criminal records. This article barely touches upon what could happen- prom involves situations like bullying, peer pressure, and date rape.

Parents, you need to know when to ask the hard questions- who is going to be in the limo, who is going to prom with who, and who is responsible. If your child is eighteen, there could be serious consequences to one mistake.

But you also need to know when not to ask questions. Be sure to have a plan in place with your child to pick them up from a bad situation, no questions asked. They should not weigh calling you and staying in a dangerous situation and pick the later.

This is the time when seniors are ready to let loose and have some fun- but they don't always think about safety. That's your responsibility as a parent- so make sure you know what your teenager is up to on prom night.

This article is a Situational Awareness Thought…. It is sad that a few bad events of ill-managed limo companies hurt the ones that work hard to manage a safe program and service and with that final thought they should not be offended to answer your simple questions.