Safe rides for teens

The driver was drunk but survived the Feb. 4, 2005 crash. At Echeverri’s funeral, friends of her mother Naomi Lewis collected $700 and gave it to the grieving mother. Lewis said it was strange to take the money at first; it was all because of her daughter.

She decided to use the money to make a difference. She added $300 to the money and started Safe Rides in their hometown of Pacifica.

Safe ride programs are popping up around the United States as a way to guarantee teens make it home safely. While the programs get kids home, some think they send the wrong message — that underage drinking is OK.

At first Lewis had a deal with a cab company, the money was supposed to be drawn from, as rides were needed. Paperwork became an issue and soon she had to look for a new cab company.

Jack Stepanian of Neat Yellow Cabs was working the night of the accident. He kept driving by the scene and looking down.

"It was a really bad accident. Then the coroner showed up with a couple of body bags,” he said.

His younger regular customers started discussing the accident and it just hit home for Stepanian, who has a young daughter.

"I went over to the scene and encompassed it all. I could just feel it, feel death there. It was kind of strange. I would go by the tree every three days,” he said.

During one of his trips, Stepanian encountered a woman gardening. It was Lewis. Lewis saw Stepanian’s cab and they’ve been working together ever since.

Fridays through Sundays teens can call Stepanian directly and ask for a ride. Special arrangements are made for holidays, like Halloween or during breaks.

While the community of Pacifica has embraced and supported the program, the national organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving has a different opinion.

"If you’re providing rides (to underage people), it’s like saying, ‘go ahead and get drunk and we’ll take you home.’ It’s sending high schoolers a double message. If they’re providing rides to those over 21 that’s fine, but under 21 that is something we would not support, said Paula Birdsong, state executive director for Mothers Against Drunk Driving California.

Lewis, however, said being in a small-town atmosphere allowed her to intervene when necessary. If kids are abusing the program or just drinking a lot someone will step in.

"They understand if there’s a problem, I don’t have a problem calling them up or calling the parents. Hopefully, the next step I would like to see happen is for parents to step up the security on their kids and follow up. I haven’t seen so much of that but I have seen a big change in young people,” she said.

Lewis said many of the kids who were affected by the accident are starting to turn 21. She said the group takes pride in not drinking and driving. She hopes it’s a message to be carried on throughout the generations to kids who didn’t know Echeverri and Bier.

Not too far away, such a program has reached generations. In the Menlo Park area a similar program was started in 1984 after a similar situation.

This program, however, is run by teens for teens with the help of the American Red Cross.

Menlo School senior Zach Carson became involved when he was a freshman, four years later he’s a student coordinator for the program.

Carson explained there are eight high schools involved, four public and four private. Each take turns working Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. under the supervision of a parent volunteer. Teens are both navigators and drivers. The Red Cross supplies the students with two cars to use and the facility as a home base.

But Carson maintains the group isn’t there to facilitate underage drinking.

"In no way do we support underage drinking. If any high schooler finds themselves in an uncomfortable situation, we’re there to help,” he said.

Anna Gail Caunca, director of community partnership at the Red Cross, said the program is funded through public donations. Blockbuster and Safeway have also made donations so the teens working can have entertainment and snacks.

"It’s really neat, I’ve seen school rivalries from sports to just kids working together, regardless of what school they’re from. That’s an awesome thing I’ve seen. I’m just really proud of these kids that they’re able to give up their nights for their peers,” she said.

While the Menlo Park area has an established program, Lewis isn’t sure what the future will hold for her start-up.

Funding is coming in through donations, the purchase of memorial wristbands and the sale of merchandise at Lewis’ sister’s store. At first she thought she’d keep in going until her daughter’s 21 st birthday. Then she thought her 18th, which would be this August. Now she’s just playing it by ear.

"The trick about this whole thing is Jack. I don’t think we could have been as successful if he hadn’t stepped in. It’s hard to ask intoxicated children to call adults they don’t know, you really didn’t know who you were going to get. But now they always know it’ll be Jack. That’s a blessing,” she said.

Thankfully for Lewis, Stepanian said as long as the program is out there he’ll be a part of it.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.

For more information about Safe Rides in Pacifica visit www.stephsgarden.com. For more information about Safe Rides in the Menlo Park area visit http://www.menloschool.org/msa/safeteens/saferide.html . For more information about Mothers Against Drunk Driving visit www.madd.org.<