Youths Honored for Safe Rides Work

Lori Tudor, a 17-year-old junior at Torrey Pines High School, used to go to parties on the weekend. Now, instead of waiting for calls from her friends, she spends four hours on most Friday and Saturday nights waiting for calls from peers who are either too drunk to drive or who find themselves in unsafe driving situations.

More than 200 teen-age volunteers in San Diego County have given up their weekends to help answer calls from the 2,500 youths who have called for assistance during the past three years. The volunteers belong to one of the five Safe Rides programs operating in the county.

Vaughan de Kirby, community spokesman for the Safe Rides program, Wednesday presented Tudor and 14 other teen-agers with Safe Driving awards and $100 each for their “outstanding performances and dedication” in helping peers who are in need of a ride. The ceremony was held at the Hospitality Center in Balboa Park.

De Kirby, also a personal injury attorney, said he initiated the awards program in January of last year because “the kids need recognition for their hard work and selfless effort--they weren’t getting it.

“Some of the kids get real involved,” De Kirby said. “They are so committed to being there--to giving rides and feeling good about it.”

Tudor has spent more than 70 hours at the San Dieguito Boys & Girls Clubs, the base station for the Torrey Pines area Safe Rides program. The program there has been in effect since September and Tudor said she doesn’t regret a minute of it.

“At first, I was doing it to help out,” Tudor said. “But after a while, I started really having fun. It’s like going to a party in itself because you get to meet new people all the time. It brings students who hang out in different cliques together. It seems like once students come to the base station, they let down their guards and work at helping others. Just thinking that you may have saved someone’s life makes it all worthwhile.”

The county’s communities and cities covered by the program are, Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rancho Bernardo, Rancho Penasquitos, Solana Beach, Torrey Pines, Del Mar, Cardiff, North City West, Fair Banks Ranch, Point Loma, El Cajon, Santee, Lakeside and La Mesa.

“There are still a lot of empty spots that need to be filled,” said Phil Factor, former director and founder of the Safe Rides program in San Diego County. “We need the communities to take responsibility in caring about youths who may be drunk or in dangerous driving situations. Not only are we in need of more teen-age volunteers, we need adults to help supervise the stations.”