Limousine to the Prom is not an Indulgence But a Necessity to Keep Teenagers Safe and Parents Worry-Free

A MARLTON, N.J., May 3 -- It's Prom Season for millions of American teenagers -- and millions of dollars are being spent on everything from Vera Wang dresses to Prada shoes. But parents should not stop at making sure that their kids have the right clothes and coordinating flowers on Prom Night. Parents should also ensure their safety, and their own peace-of-mind, by hiring professionally chauffeured transportation for the night, according to the National Limousine Association.

A joint study released by the Insurance Institute of America and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, reported that teen drivers have the highest crash risk of any group. According to statistics for 1999, "Per mile traveled, they (teen drivers) have the highest involvement rates in all types of crashes, from those involving only property damage to those that are fatal. Almost 80 percent of the fatal crashes reported in the 16-19 age category involve driver error. This is almost 20 percent more than fatal crashes in the 20-49 year old category."

Scott Solombrino, president of both the National Limousine Association and industry giant Dav El Chauffeured Transportation, says that a professional chauffeur is clearly the best choice. "A trained professional chauffeur is infinitely safer than an inexperienced teen driver. National Limousine Association member companies have made a demonstrated commitment to safety. Our chauffeur typically have thousands of hours of experience on the road and he or she is almost definitely much more comfortable on the road than a teen driver, especially during all of the distractions, excitement and fun of Prom Night."

"A well-maintained limousine driven by a professionally trained chauffeur is clearly the safest choice on prom night," agrees Randy O'Neill, senior vice-president at Lancer Insurance Company, Long Beach, NY, the largest insurer of chauffeured transportation in the world.

Linda Blakaitis of Freehold, NJ, considers herself a responsible parent who is careful not to spoil her 18-year-old son. But when it came time to plan Craig's senior prom, Linda was adamant. "I insisted that we hire a reputable limousine service and that we had a trained professional chauffeur driving the kids."

"We found Concorde Limousine in Freehold and they were fantastic. It was the best $400($200 per couple) that we ever spent." Blakaitis was clear that she had complete faith in her son. "He's a fantastic person who has never given us a problem. What worried me is that I don't want him in a car with an inexperienced driver going to an unfamiliar place and out very late at night. It is just too stressful."

The National Limousine Association was founded in 1985 as a voluntary non- profit organization responsible for and dedicated to representing and furthering the international, state and local interests of all aspects of the limousine industry. The Association is comprised of over 1,500 limousine owners and operators, manufacturers and suppliers, as well as regional and state associations, coachbuilders and vendors. The National Limousine Association is the only international association serving the limousine industry. Visit the National Limousine Association website at www.limo.org for more information.