Stay Safe for Prom

Prom and graduation plans can easily derail if dangerous choices are made.

In 1992, I was 16 and an athlete at Tracy High School. My eventful life as a junior ended when a drunken driver hit me. My teenage life was then filled with surgeries and therapy. With my condition, I was unable to study at any college, like the University of California at Santa Barbara, independently.

My hearing, talking and walking are damaged, and I cannot drive. I never imagined living like this.

I am thankful people are slowly learning to not drive drunk. Please, continue that.

We are in the age of technology. A new driving threat comes: cellphones. As a teenager, I only saw them in science fiction films. They are everywhere now!

Driving drunk and cellphones both cause distraction and impair driving. Each can cause drivers to follow too closely, not brake on time, or weave into traffic.

Texting is common. You could be driving in a neighborhood, checking your email, and run into a car or even a pedestrian.

If your phone rings when driving, do not check the message. The speed and location does not matter. Taking one look could be your last. Drivers must police themselves and avoid the cellphone and drinking when driving.