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Safe Rides program gets good start on Grad Night
By Steve Enders
Area high school students helped their fellow classmates over the party-hearty graduation weekend two weeks ago, and their assistance may have saved some precious lives.
About 18 students climbed into a city-sponsored Safe Rides van on the nights of June 11 and 12 and were delivered home safely. Most, according to project organizers, had probably been drinking.
The weekend's Safe Rides effort marked the first test drive for the new project, sponsored by the city of Saratoga, the Santa Clara County chapter of the American Red Cross and student and parent volunteers at Saratoga High School.
And since it was so successful, the program will probably be up and running each weekend beginning when school is back in session in the fall, at least at Saratoga High.
The Safe Rides van even pulled into Los Gatos a couple of times--some parents and students in town are trying to begin a similar program at LGHS as well through CASA, Community Against Substance Abuse.
Eventually, organizers say, they'd like to encompass every high school in the South Bay, and meet with the program's originators on the peninsula and in San Mateo County.
"It was a very successful night and weekend," parent organizer Betty Morse said. Morse, whose sons attend Saratoga High School, has spearheaded the campaign here, working with the city's Public Safety Commission and City Council to get the program up and running.
Their efforts won Safe Rides $3,000 from the council to continue running in the fall. The money will help pay for gasoline as well as copying and printing costs to advertise to students.
Safe Rides began in the mid-1980s in Palo Alto when students from Gunn and Palo Alto High schools were involved in deadly drinking-related accidents.
According to David Eastis, director of development with the Red Cross, the Palo Alto students were able to team up with various community organizations and the Red Cross to help students make it home safely after partying.
When Safe Rides gets a call on its toll-free hotline, a van is dispatched by parent and student volunteers, who in Saratoga's case are stationed at the Warner Hutton House. The van is always driven by both male and female students, so all passengers will feel comfortable. The drivers are trained by the Red Cross in CPR and first aid, in case of any emergencies.
Safe Rides never turns down a call, Eastis said, and the service could also be used by students who may be uncomfortable on dates.
"But most come as a result of those who have had too much to drink and need a ride," Eastis said. "And that's what Safe Rides is all about."
"We're just delighted that we're able to provide such a valuable service to young people," he said. "The most encouraging aspect is that students are the ones who are organizing it and giving the rides, especially in a day and age where young people are often thought to be apathetic."
That certainly has not been the case in Saratoga, where students have lobbied their City Council members, canvassed their high school and vigorously advertised the service, all in hopes of saving lives.
The student organizers have maintained that the project doesn't encourage underage drinking, but simply provides a needed resource for those who have been drinking.
"I was thinking we'd get a few calls," Morse said of the first night. "But the good thing is that we got the word out."
The group plastered posters all over the high school just days before school let out, but apparently some meticulous janitors removed them from walls and posts, not knowing that they had been approved by the administration.
In the fall, Safe Rides in Saratoga and Los Gatos should be in full swing. The service's hotline number is 1-888-550-RIDE, and is currently functioning in Mountain View and Palo Alto.
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Saratoga, California Since 1975
