Carter County Schools hosts ‘Prom Promise’ event

CARTER COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Around 50 students in Carter County high schools participated in a “prom promise” event on Wednesday.

Deputy Director Nacy Garrison said the event shows students one of the possible outcomes of driving under the influence.

“What we try to do is show them one of the possible consequences that can happen if they were to drive under the influence of a substance, whether it be drugs or alcohol after their prom,” Garrison said. “It’s not that we don’t want them to have a good time and enjoy their prom. We just want them to be safe.”

The event featured a realistic simulation of an accident, set up as a two-car crash with six kids from prom who had been drinking.

“There won’t actually be an accident, but there will be patients inside,” Garrison said. “We will use our power tools to cut them out and get them ready for transport and load them into the ambulance. So we’ll try to make it as realistic as we can without actually terrifying anyone.”

Garrison said community members and first responders come together to make the event a success to help students see a potential negative outcome.

“The hope is that when they see [the] potential negative outcome of what can happen, they’ll at least make an arrangement if they still plan,” Garrison said. “I know we would prefer they not use any substances that are [illegal], but if they do plan, if they do find themselves in that situation, we’d like for them to think about a backup plan, a way to be safe and not let something like this happen to them.”

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