High Life A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Safe-Rides Helps Teens Who Drink

South County Safe-Rides, a student-run program sponsored by Capistrano by the Sea Hospital in Dana Point, was recently acknowledged by the Orange County Board of Supervisors for its efforts to reduce teen-age drinking and driving.

Launched two years ago, the program provides safe and confidential rides home to fellow students in the Dana Point, Laguna Beach and San Clemente areas who have been drinking or riding with someone who has.

Capistrano by the Sea is the base of operations every Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Trained adult volunteers oversee the activities of the students. Students who work on the program also participate in the four-hour training program directed by the Boy Scouts. It includes CPR training, emergency procedures, alcohol awareness and communication skills.

Part of the Safe-Rides program includes discouraging drinking. Students on each high school campus form a club to inform other students and pledge never to drink and drive.

Students at San Clemente, Dana Hills and St. Margaret’s high schools have distributed wallet cards and key chains with the Safe-Rides slogan, “Don’t Drink & Drive, Call 83-ALIVE.”

When school resumes in the fall, South County Safe-Rides will expand to include all high schools south of Irvine.

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