Syosset Student Provides 'Saferide' Home

When Syosset  High School Senior Joshua Lafazan saw the arrest of former Jet Braylon Edwards, a question popped into his head.

There were three other players as passengers in the vehicle; Lafazan felt they should not have been in the situation of driving with a drunk driver.

"And if they, with the support of the whole Jets organization and millions of dollars, could make that decision," Lafazan says.  "What about my Syosset High School classmates?"

Lafazan took to action.  After consulting with close friends, his newly founded group, which he titled "Saferide", managed to pick up 15 volunteer drivers, each volunteering a Friday or Saturday night out of the month to drive Syosset teens home safely.

Now, 10 weeks and 130 passengers later, Saferide has 40 volunteers, and the commitment is a night every other month, which Lafazan attributes to the success of the program.  His biggest achievement, however, he feels is that the Saturday before Halloween, Saferide took 25 Syosset teens safely.

However, some have questioned the group's underlying message, and say that Saferide encourages teenage drinking.

"Kids have been drinking alcohol for generations," responds Lafazan.  "Our goal is not to eradicate teenage drinking.  It is, however to stop teenage drinking and driving."

Lafazan hopes to bring Saferide to every high school in Nassau County, and says he's already heard interest from teens in Bethpage.  

Still, he holds to a basic principle that's been his goal ever since the formation of Saferide:

"We want to make sure that anybody who needs a safe ride home, feels that they can call us, with no judgement passed," Lafazan says.

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