Ensuring Life After Prom CARFAX and the I Promise Program Offer Prom Night Safe Driving Tips

Business Wire, May 7, 2003

Business Editors

FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2003

CARFAX and the I Promise Program have teamed up to promote prom night driving safety by providing parents and teens information and tips.

Motor vehicle crashes are the biggest killer of teens in North America, and spring is considered an especially dangerous time for young drivers. Spring break, prom, and graduation are milestones - rites of passage - in the lives of teenagers. They also provide ample opportunities for teens to try alcohol or drugs for the first time. Therefore, it is no great surprise that messages warning teens not to drink and drive are heaviest this time of year.

Dick Raines is the president of CARFAX, an automotive industry leader and creator of the vehicle history report. He is also a father of three teenagers and the driving force behind the CARFAX Safe Teen Drivers Program. In addition to teens drinking and driving, Raines is concerned about other safety challenges faced by novice teen drivers such as "drowsy driving."

"It goes without saying that parents do not want their teenagers drinking--let alone drinking and driving, but we must also warn them not to drive drowsy," says Raines.

But, according to a study published in the British Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, people driving after staying awake for 17 to 19 hours performed worse than those with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%. The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimate that more than 1,550 deaths and 71,000 injuries are attributable to driver fatigue annually.

"Already this spring I've seen s tragic story of a young man in Columbia, South Carolina, who crashed while driving home after prom," says Raines. "He was too tired, fell asleep behind the wheel, and veered into an oncoming lane striking another motorist. While the teen escaped with minor injuries, the driver he hit died."

Gary Direnfeld is the Executive Director of the I Promise Program, which offers parents and teens safe-driving contracts, decals and a monitoring service. Direnfeld reminds parents that distractions, such as multiple passengers, and speed are also big risks for teen drivers.

"Excitement or nerves, showing off for friends or just running late to pick up a date can cause a teen driver to speed," says Direnfeld. "Whatever the excuse, the result can be fatal."

According to statistics the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety published, speed and driving with additional passengers contribute to more teen crashes than alcohol use.

CARFAX and the I Promise Program, with information from other safety experts, have prepared a list of safety tips including:

-- PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT - Experienced drivers are used to

variables, but novice drivers who spend most of their driving

life in jeans and sneakers may need to practice in rigid, less

comfortable dress shoes. Be alert to prom dresses that may

hinder driving movements as well.

-- PROM NIGHT PROMISES - Make an agreement with your teen that

they will not drink and drive or ride with anyone who has been

drinking (or taking drugs). Make it clear that you are only a

phone call away, and promise to reserve judgment or

punishments until you both have clear heads.

-- ADDRESS SEATBELTS - Make sure teens wear their seatbelts

(teens may be reluctant to buckle up for fear of wrinkling

their prom attire).

-- WHAT FRIENDS AREN'T FOR - Remove distractions by limiting

passengers in teen-driven vehicles to the number of seatbelts

in the car.

-- NO DRIVING DROWSY - Encourage your teen to secure an alternate

ride home or to stay put if they feel tired. Tell your teen to

pull off in a safe area to rest if they feel overcome by

sleepiness once on the road.

-- PROVIDE THE RIDE - Rent a limousine for your teen and their

friends, and make an agreement with the limo driver--any

alcohol and the kids are brought straight home. Or, find a

responsible party to act as chauffer - you or an older

sibling.

To obtain a "Limousine Contract for the Prom," visit www.ipromiseprogram.com. For additional safe driving tips for teens, visit the CARFAX Safe Teen Drivers resource center at www.carfax.com/teen. Clicking on the link under the "Feedback" section, to request a complete list of Prom Safety Tips.

ABOUT CARFAX

Founded in 1984, CARFAX pioneered the concept of the vehicle history report - the instant background check on any used car. CARFAX Vehicle History Reports can confirm a clean title history or identify serious problems with any used car, including salvage history, odometer fraud, flood damage and more. CARFAX helps millions of consumers and thousands of car dealers avoid buying used cars with costly hidden problems. Using the 17-character Vehicle ID Number (VIN), used car buyers can access over two billion vehicle history records from hundreds of different sources in the CARFAX nation-wide database at www.carfax.com. Every CARFAX Report that confirms a clean title history is backed by the $5,000 CARFAX Certified History Guarantee. CARFAX, Inc., based in Fairfax, Virginia, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the R.L. Polk & Co.