Fighting teen drinking

Alan Castillejos said he’s glad to help get the word out about stopping underage drinking and driving.

The 16-year-old Permian junior, who’s served on the Mayor’s Drug & Crime Commission since August, said he wants other teenagers to know drinking and driving isn’t glamorous.

“It’s really important because all kids need to know drinking and driving is bad, and it can harm their bodies,” he said.

Castillejos was one of about 60 people from various agencies that joined to unveil a paid ad to be aired on cable and network television about preventing teenage drinking and driving.

State Farm donated $10,000 through a grant to help fund the airing of the TV ad, Odessa Police Chief Chris Pipes said.

State Farm agent Mike Podzemny, one of more than 33 agents serving much of West Texas, said one in four automobile fatalities in the nation involves people 16 to 24 years old. Car accidents are the No. 1 killer of the country’s teenagers, he said.

“This is a wide spread problem that affects us, each and every one of us in this room,” he said.

In addition to unveiling and showing the ad — which began airing Monday morning — the city proclaimed Monday through Saturday as Teen Driver Safety Week. Monday’s event was also a kick-off for next week’s Red Ribbon Week.

Wayne Wallace, ECISD’s Student Assistance Services lead counselor, said there’s been improvement in the number of teenagers dying from car crashes —there’s 2,600 fewer teen fatalities this year than in 1982, he said.

“Your prevention efforts change lives and save lives,” Wallace said.

Another student serving on the mayor’s commission, Odessa High senior Britney Cisneros said alcohol has been referred to as a “gateway drug” in which its use by teenagers most likely leads to the use of other substances.

The 17-year-old emphasized that alcohol abuse and dependency aren’t just adult problems. Many teens who drink are more likely to engage in sexual promiscuity, she said, and they’re likely to affect the development of their bones.

Carol Gregg, ECISD board president and a municipal court judge, said the behaviors of the teens needs to change, but also the parents need to take the issue more seriously. She noted that she sees teens as young as 12 years old come into her court for alcohol-related crimes, such as minors in possession.

“To me, this is a tremendously important program,” she said. “As a community, we need to understand this is not just a rite of passage.”

Castillejos said he hopes his peers will make smart choices when faced with the prospect of drinking.

“I can’t make decisions for them, but the decisions they make will impact their futures and they’ll have to live with the consequences,” Castillejos said.

>> The Mayor’s Drug & Crime Commission, State Farm Insurance, the Permian Basin Regional Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Ector County Independent School District and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin unveiled a paid ad spot Monday to encourage teenagers to refrain from drinking and driving.

>> The groups showed four versions of the ad — two in English and two in Spanish — in which pictures of smiling teens at various school events are displayed on screen along with the phrase “Create Memories.” All of a sudden screeches are heard and photos of car accidents fill the screen.

>> Then, a tombstone in a cemetery is shown to the words “Don’t become one.”

>> State Farm Insurance donated $10,000 for the airing of the ad.