April O'Neil / news@WHMI.com

As families travel across Michigan and beyond, the travel time in the car could be a great chance for parents to start important conversations with their kids.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is once again working with TalkSooner.org, a Michigan-based parent resource for youth substance use prevention, to encourage families to “Make the Chatter Matter” by having important “drug talk” prevention conversations with their kids and teens while traveling in their vehicles together.

Many of MDOT’s 77 rest areas and Welcome Centers around the state feature TalkSooner posters, reminding parents to engage in conversations about drug use prevention and pointing them toward resources to help them get started.

TalkSooner’s free online portal (translatable into Spanish) offers parent talking tips for youth of all ages and stages of development, conversation starters, information on drug trends (including vaping), and more. MDOT has worked with TalkSooner since 2021.

“MDOT’s top concern is safety, so looking to prevent drug abuse and potential impaired driving is a natural extension of our mission and values,” said acting MDOT director Brad Wieferich. “We’re happy to play a role in fostering healthy, safe families and communities.”

Stephanie VanDerKooi, Chief Operating Officer for the Lakeshore Regional Entity (LRE), which powers TalkSooner.org, says “family road trips offer the perfect times to informally check in with your kids, get their perspective on drugs and alcohol, and share your values for guiding healthy choices.”

“TalkSooner provides tips to help navigate these often difficult but important conversations,” VanDerKooi said. “We applaud MDOT for supporting this opportunity to educate and inspire parents.”

Carolyn Taylor of Grand Haven, Mich., supports any effort to get in front of youth substance use. Her teenage son, a former athlete, is in long-term recovery stemming from his first vaping experience as a high school sophomore.

“He says he was hooked from the first hit of the vape,” Taylor said. “As parents, we need all of the support we can get to prevent substance use.”

According to VanDerKooi, car rides offer a unique circumstance, away from the distractions of home, to have these informal conversations. MDOT rest areas and Welcome Centers can serve as convenient venues for parents or caregivers to visit the website during their travel breaks, gleaning tips and talking points that can be used immediately.

“Kids want to know where their parents stand,” VanDerKooi said. “Regular, informal conversation about substance use is more effective than one-time lectures. Talk early, talk often, talk sooner!”

MDOT has produced a video news release about the launch of the campaign, available on its YouTube channel. That link is provided.