Staying safe over spring break

Chad Lindsey warns parents to not underestimate what could happen. As Panama City Beach deputy police chief, he has seen that students on spring break can get in trouble, even if they stay with their family and simply venture out solo on the beach with friends.

Lindsey and Gavin Kostelecky of the Orange Beach Police Department spoke at a series of spring break safety talks organized by All In Mountain Brook in January. 

Both officers have spent many years patrolling the beaches during spring break and have witnessed what they describe as preventable accidents that have resulted in the injury or death of many young persons. Much of this is due to the extreme volume of visitors that the beach sees during this time. Although only 14,000 people reside in Panama City Beach, the beach receives approximately 13 million visitors per year, many of those between March and early April when schools nationwide release students for spring break. 

In the large crowds that this time of year produces, it is often difficult for beach police to do their job. Lindsey warns that a happy crowd can turn into a dangerous one quickly, especially when alcohol and other substances are involved. Parents might believe that their children would never participate in inappropriate behavior, but Lindsey knows that every person on the beach is someone’s child. In spring break situations, Lindsey refers to the behavior of these dangerous crowds as having a mob mentality, in which people in the mob react to disruptions in a way that they ordinarily would not. A small fight can turn into a crowd of 100 or more people, Lindsey said. 

Still, Lindsey and Kostelecky said they do not want to discourage people from visiting the beach. 

“I guarantee your children can have fun in Panama City without getting drunk,” Lindsey said. 

Instead, they want to make parents aware of what their children should know before heading down for spring break fun. See the sidebar for their suggestions.

For more information, visit allinmountainbrook.org.

Safety Tips

• Don’t drink alcohol if you are under 21. Countless accidents, injuries and death occur to minors during spring break every year. In these instances, alcohol is usually involved. Lindsey and Kostelecky also pointed out that in several cases, the alcohol was given to minors by a parent or guardian. This can easily become a dangerous situation for themselves and others, they said. To prevent accidents from occurring, make sure that your underage students do not have any alcohol.
• Stay together in groups. Lindsey has seen several cases of individuals robbed or assaulted simply because they were alone and were seen as an easy target. Although the idea of spring break was started for students, many other “predators” visit the beach to take advantage of young visitors. Traveling in groups often prevents predators from targeting the members of the group. 
• Pay attention to your surroundings. Spring break often leads to a lowering of inhibitions, but that should not mean that students should stop paying attention to details around them. Lindsey said he often deals with victims of an attack who cannot describe their attacker in a detailed way, either because they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs or they were just not paying attention closely enough. Being able to recognize when a situation feels wrong will help prevent visitors from becoming victims.