Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital Offers Cruisin’ Smart

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9.2.2014 Crusin SmartBryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital has taken on the mission of expanding its message to educate teenagers and young adults about the risks of distracted and impaired driving.

Cruisin’ Smart is the new name of Bryn Mawr’s Cruisin’ Not Boozin’ program, broadening the hospital’s safe driving message as the educational program for teens behind the wheel enters its 25th year.  Health educators at Bryn Mawr, one of the most comprehensive rehabilitation hospitals in the Mid-Atlantic, decided Cruisin’ not Boozin’ did not cover the growing list of distracted driving risks faced by new drivers.

“Cruisin’ not Boozin’ has been an incredibly successful and impactful program, but we felt as though the title left out so many other risks, like texting and driving, driving under the influence of drugs, and other multitasking behaviors like talking on the phone or eating while driving,” said Betsy Dwyer, Cruisin’ Smart program coordinator.

“By changing the name of the program to Cruisin’ Smart, we’re addressing all of these issues and encouraging young drivers to use good judgment in every situation on the road.”

Cruisin’ Smart is the only regional program that offers a peer-to-peer approach to counseling students about the dangers of distracted and impaired driving. Young speakers, some of whom are former patients who have been affected by DUI or distracted driving—mentally, physically, and emotionally—visit schools to talk to students about the life-altering and long-term effects of unsafe driving. The true-life tragedies bring students face-to-face with the consequences.

“Cruisin’ SMART encourages parents and teens to communicate clearly and to set up boundaries before the teen gets into a vehicle,” said Donna Phillips, hospital president. “Instituting rules and consequences can help save a child’s life, and the lives of others who may be on the road with them. This program is dedicated to saving lives and preventing accidents and injury.”

The hospital is also reaching out to local schools, law enforcement, parents, juvenile justice officials and grassroots community groups to collectively address the health and behavioral risks that threaten youth, families and communities.

Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital has been delivering advanced rehabilitation services for more than 40 years. The staff develops customized inpatient rehab and outpatient treatment plans at the Malvern campus and outpatient locations throughout the Philadelphia region.

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Top photo credit: Rina Pitucci (Tilling 67) via photopin cc

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