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Staying safe during prom season Lt. Michael Trice of the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office offers advice to those attending prom
At Lee-Davis High School, members of SADD are striving to fulfill their organization’s mission: Students helping students making positive decisions about challenges in their everyday lives.
SADD stands for “Students Against Destructive Decisions.” And these students realize that one of these destructive decisions is choosing to drink.
In fact, for a lot of high school students, prom season presents the opportunity to drink with a celebratory vengeance.
Nancy Carter, a math teacher, is the faculty sponsor of the Lee-Davis chapter of SADD. SADD is currently promoting THINK.Prom, a campaign launched by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company in 2006.
Think.PROM asks students to be alcohol- and drug-free all year, and to be especially vigilant during prom season.
“Students get involved with SADD because they want to be a positive influence with their peers,” said Carter. “To promote the program we will be hanging posters around school, we will be hanging a banner, we will be having students sign the pledge cards.”
She added, “On the night of the prom, SADD members will be placing fliers on the cars to remind students as they are leaving of the prom promise they have made. Hopefully by seeing this as they are leaving it will have an impact and make them think.”
And thinking through the dangers of driving under the influence could save a teen’s life.
MADD says traffic deaths among teenagers during prom season weekends are higher than at any other time of the year.
In Hanover, among teens, alcohol violations have risen by almost 60 percent over the past year.
According to the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, in 2006, 44 people under the age of 17 were arrested for the unlawful purchase or possession of alcoholic beverages. By 2007, that number had risen to 70.
“Prom night, like other widely attended events, provides a host of opportunities for young people,” said Lt. Michael Trice of the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office. “Our message or recommendation would be to select, choose those opportunities that will not only be fun, providing good memories, but also safe.”
Part of keeping kids safe is ensuring that they don’t have access to alcohol in the first place.
“We are continuing with our Underage Buyer Program,” said Trice, noting that between 2006 and 2007 the number of individuals charged with selling alcohol to an unauthorized person rose from 19 to 29, indicating an increase of 52 percent.
“With the support of a grant from the ABC department we still spot check our retail establishments to ensure they are complying with the law.”
“Everyone from peers, parents, school officials,” he added, “must work together to create and maintain this safe environment.”
Harrison Moncure, a Mechanicsville Nationwide Insurance Agent, has donated THINK.Prom materials, such as pledge cards, posters and banners, to Lee-Davis.
“THINK.Prom is an awareness based program,” he said. “We want to get the message out to teens not to use drugs or drink while driving.”
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