Events like prom and graduation are often timeless for teens. After working so hard and coming so far, high school seniors let loose and have a good time during this last month of school that is filled with celebration. Yet one police officer with the initials T.D. says the months of May and June are the times that he sleeps less and worries more. He says that these carefree teens who are just getting degrees and tampering with the freedom of college life are often irresponsible drivers. Prom and graduation after-parties involve all sorts of underage drinking and reckless activity, and this may carry over into fast and dangerous driving when teens hop into the car.

T.D. has seen dozens of car accident fatalities. He says that he is almost used to arriving on the scene of an accident only to be greeted by shattered glass, skid lines, and body bags. He told the Washington Post that he is always shocked by the utter senselessness of what he sees. Now, his campaign for safe driving is even more personal. T.D. had a 15 year-old son who was in the backseat of a Volvo headed to grab a burger when disaster struck. The driver of the Volvo was trying to show off and veered into a tree at breakneck speed. T.D.'s son didn't survive the collision.

Since T.D. lost his son, he has been vigilant at looking for reckless teen drivers out on the highways. He says that many teenagers attend proms, graduation parties, and other celebrations in the weeks before high school lets out for the summer. This is when teens are most at risk to be involved in a fatal crash. The high school kids might drink and drive, but many times the accidents aren't even related to alcohol. Sometimes the hype of loud music, the peer pressure of friends in the car, the rowdiness of the passengers, or the conditions on the road can cause these teens to get into a crash.

A lot of times, high schoolers will drive very late at night. This is when they are more likely to collide with a drunk driver. Also, some locations do not have the proper lighting on the streets, and teens may not see a tree or fence that is up ahead. Whatever the reason, T.D. says it only takes a second to take a life. T.D. often travels to schools just hours before prom or graduation to warn the students of the dangers that they may encounter if they decide to throw safe-driving habits out the window later that night.

When T.D. comes to speak at schools, he talks to the teens about human reaction times. He explains how sense can be dulled by alcohol or drugs, and about how distractions can create the inability to react properly. He also explains the physics of a hurdling automobile and the harm of a sudden impact from two speeding vehicles. He has been giving his carefully prepared lecture to anyone who will listen for over 20 years. Yet people take him seriously when they realize that the experience is very personal for him.

T.D. has spoken at hundreds of venues, including Capitol Hill. He is on various boards that promote teen driving safety and discourage teens to drink alcohol or take drugs. He has also helped schools to organize alcohol-free after-prom events. Because most teens don't want to designate a driver, and certainly don't want to call their parents to come pick them up from an after-prom party, they have a tendency to drive home intoxicated. They hope that they won't get caught drinking, yet there is a possibility that they won't ever make it home. T.D. allowed the Volvo that his son perished in to be put on display at proms all over the state of Alabama. He hopes that his example will serve as a warning during this dangerous time full of proms, graduations and parties.