*Written by Susan Watson, marketing and communications for Point of No Return. We are excited to partner with Point of No Return to help raise awareness about teenagers making smart decisions when driving.

Do you ever wish you could “rewind” a decision you’ve made?

We can try to make amends, change directions, apologize for wrong doings, but for many decisions in life the option for rewind does not exist, especially for teens. Hence, the origin of the film Point of No Return; Kennebunk, Maine Police Chief’s dream to help local teens think about the opportunity to “rewind” prior to a decision.

One recent real-life story, of which there are many, tells of a teen making one questionable decision after another, resulting in dire consequences. An 18-year-old girl from Wisconsin first chooses to consume alcohol, proceeds to get into her car and drive, travels straight through a stop sign, collides with an ongoing car, and then leaves the scene of the accident; all while her seat belt sat by her side. (Rewind anyone?) Unfortunately, stories like this one are plentiful. In another account, an underage teen who consumed alcohol drove a car full of friends, was pulled over by law enforcement and then in a split second, chose to drive away while hurting and almost severing the officer’s arm.

Many of us understand that the amalgam of inexperience and underage drinking and driving can be extremely dangerous, if not lethal. The good news is that with proactive programs and continued education, some communities have experienced a marked decrease in the number of teen drunk driving incidences over the last couple of years. However, there still exists a vast need to inform and talk to our teens about their decisions and possible consequences resulting from underage drinking and driving.

Let’s continue to bring great programs, set excellent examples, and share knowledge with our teens. To date, the teen anti-drunk-driving film, Point of No Return, has received numerous accolades, including two TELLY AWARDS and two Awards of Merit from Best Shorts. Maine’s Secretary of State, Charles Summers, approved this video as a teaching resource and raised funds from various organizations including Maine’s distilled spirits industry to ensure distribution of this film to 500 of Maine’s high schools. Visit www.pointofnotreturn.tv or click here for more information, or to bring it to your community.