Schools and Laredoans Against Drunk Driving want students to be safe on prom night

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - Prom season is officially here and while students are excited for a night of music and dancing with friends, officials are advising kids about the consequences of underage drinking.

While many know that the legal age to consume alcohol is 21, many kids and parents continue to break the law.

Not only is underage drinking against the law, drinking one too many and driving can make matters worse.

Martin High School Principal Mario Mireles shared his experience of losing someone close to him as a result of drunk driving.

Mireles says during his senior year he lost a friend to a car accident, something that made him realize that life can change in a matter of seconds.

Using his own experiences, Mireles wants his students to be aware of their actions and prevent them from making a big mistake.

Mireles says, “That’s the message we want to take to his students, because I know there’s a lot of people with the same type of experiences and teaching our kids about all of the safety precautions that they can do and things that they can avoid.”

On Thursday, students from Martin High School were visited by Elizabeth Villarreal from Laredoans Against Drunk Driving, an organization that fights and advocates for victims that are affected by drunk driver crashes.

Even though they are not of drinking age, Villarreal wants students to know that drunk driving tragedies affect not only those involved in accidents but their families as well.

Villarreal says, they want to reach out to students about the dangers of drinking and driving under the influence so everyone can live to see graduation.

For Elizabeth, drunk driving hits close to home, after her son was killed in a drunk driving accident that completely changed her life.

Villarreal says, “He is my child, he’s no longer here, he would’ve been 29 right now, he died at nineteen and it’s very difficult. It really made an effect on us, and since then, I promise my son that I would be his voice to go out to the community to spread a message to just being safe.”

With these pep talks, Mireles and Villareal hope that students are conscious and think twice not only about drinking but drinking and driving during prom season.

It’s a night that should be filled with joy and memories not tragedies.

Laredoans Against Drunk Drivers or LADD will be heading to other schools to talk to students about the consequences of drinking and driving.

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