Say no to Safe Rides program, bill

The Mundelein Police Department, the Lake County Chiefs of Police Association, the Lake County After School Coalition, and the Lake County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force are opposed to SB1930 for these reasons:

The Safe Rides program in New Trier Township is primarily utilized by students from New Trier Township High School, but other communities have been asked to implement and support the program.

What began as a program to provide rides to students at night from libraries and other public places, has changed to the majority of the rides given to students who are under the influence of alcohol and/or other drugs as a result of attending parties. Rides are provided from parties to the students' residences with the highest demand occurring after midnight. Parents of the students picked up are not notified of their child's participation in the program, even if their child is under the influence.

Although the volunteers believe they are offering a safe component to a risky teen behavior, this practice implicitly condones illegal drinking by teens. Underage drinking is a crime. This practice offers a consequence-free safety net for teens that break liquor laws.

Two teens are assigned to drive to the designated pick-up point and pick up the requesting teen. There is a tremendous responsibility of the student drivers in dealing with peers who may be intoxicated. The drivers may or may not be trained in emergency procedures in dealing with an intoxicated person. Once the student is dropped off , there is no follow-up to see if the student is safe, and parents are not notified that their child has been picked up and brought home in a possibly intoxicated state.

Many hours of work were dedicated to the Illinois Graduated Drivers License bill by the Secretary of State's Office to make teen drivers safer. The rationale behind the changes in the driving restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds was that most collisions, fatal or not, occur during the hours after midnight. These are the timeframes that the Safe Ride Program is operating. According to National Safety Council Research, the number of passengers in a car driven by 16- to 17-year-olds can lead to increased collisions and injury mortality for drivers and passengers, putting everyone in the car at risk.

We do not support SB1930 because:

• It amends the Illinois Vehicle Code provisions that makes a driver's license invalid for the operation of a motor vehicle during certain hours if the licensee is less than 18 years of age.

• It adds an exception for a person participating as an assigned driver in a Safe Ride program sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America or another national public service organization.

• It adds an exception for a person participating as an assigned driver in a Safe Ride program if the person has held his or her license for at least six months (versus 12 months).

Raymond J. Rose

Chief of Police, Mundelein Police Department,

Co-Chair Lake County After School Coalition,

Chairman, Lake County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force