1. Safe Rides
Emily, Arden, Kaya

2. The Issue: Drinking and Driving among teens in New Canaan
Almost 100% of students surveyed admitted to either drinking and driving or being a passenger of a car driven by a drunk driver
Over 3,000 teens die every year from accidents related to drunk driving
New Canaan will not provide a Safe Rides program unless a tragedy related to drunk driving occurs in our town

3. What Could Potentially Happen…
In 2007 in the state of CT alone there were:
16 Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities committed by kids under the age of 21
Additionally in 2007 in the state of CT there were:
98 arrests for drunk driving to kids UNDER the age of 18

4. What is Safe Rides?
Safe rides is an organization run through the Red Cross (in most towns) that helps students avoid driving under the influence or being stuck with a driver that is under the influence
Neighboring towns use this program (Stamford, Darien, Greenwich, Ridgefield, ect.)
Most are student-run operations where students volunteer on Friday and Saturday nights to pick up other kids that need a safe ride home

5. Surveys
When asked if they had either driven drunk and/ or been in a car with a drunk driver students of NCHS answered:
9th grade= 100% said yes
10th grade= 70% said yes
11th grade= 78% said yes
12th grade= 68% said yes
When asked if they thought a Safe Rides program would be beneficial in our town, NCHS students answered:
10th grade= 80% said yes
11th grade= 93% said yes
12th grade= 100% said yes

6. Current Policies
Currently, New Canaan does not have a program concerning drunk driving
In the 90s, NC had a Safe Rides program through the Red Cross but discontinued it because of liability issues
Greenwich, Ridgefield, Darien, Stamford, and many other neighboring towns have very successful Safe Rides programs through the Red Cross

7. NCPD Opinions
We interviewed Officer Milligan on the idea of Safe Rides in New Canaan- agrees it is something that could benefit our town
Police Dept. cannot be involved with it directly due to the fact that it conflicts the law
When asked about teen drinking in NC, Milligan said that he believes our town is above average with the teen drinking rate
Milligan also said: “If other towns are doing it and they haven’t had anything negative happen, then why should we wait to establish it in our town?”

8. Interview With Giovanni Torcasio (Lewis School of Driving Instructor)
Many people will disagree with his views, but Giovanni believes that Safe Rides “is more beneficial than hurtful”
“The # 1 killer among year-olds is a car accident where drugs and alcohol are involved.”
“Safe Rides doesn’t encourage teenage drinking, it encourages NOT drinking and driving.”

9. Our Policy
We propose that the Outback Teen Center serve as a headquarters for a Safe Rides program for New Canaan
Rules for NC Safe Rides:
-Run by student volunteers for Community Service hours, drivers work in partners
-Teens cannot be dropped off at another party, they must be taken home or to wherever they’re spending the night
-No alcohol or other substances may be brought onto the bus
-Hours of operation would be from 10 PM to 1 AM on Friday and Saturday nights

10. Policy Continued
Because of liability issues, New Canaan has been hesitant to reinstate a Safe Rides program (the Red Cross gave us a definite “no”)
We came up with these additions to our Safe Rides Policy to avoid some of the liability issues:
Parents must sign a waiver form allowing their child(ren) to be transported by the Safe Ride Staff
Drivers would use a directory to ensure that they were driving kids to their actual home addresses

11. Alternative Policies and Support From Different Organizations
Taxi-cards (Ridgefield uses this)
Involve community-based groups such as SLOBS and the NCL chapters for volunteer drivers and organizers
Possibly offer a set limit of rides per month (2 or 3) to compromise with parents that do not want the program for fear that teens will abuse it as an excuse to drink

12. Plan of Action
Gather all information and statistics that we’ve collected
Ask for additional support from community groups (such as SLOBS)
Involve Jeb Walker (First Selectman) to support our cause
Use this presentation to come before the Outback committee and other members of the community and propose our version of Safe Rides

13. Flow Chart of Our Progress

14. “High school kids are always going to to drink
“High school kids are always going to to drink. And then they’re going to be faced with the decision to either drive or be driven drunk, or to make a call to someone sober to drive them home. With Safe Rides in New Canaan, you could save that one kid from making the wrong decision, and potentially save his life and the lives of others.”
-Giovanni Torcasio