It's prom night for students at Community High School. Earlier this week, juniors and seniors witnessed a carefully orchestrated tableau, carried out by dozens of emergency and law enforcement personnel.

An annual tradition at many high schools, Prom Promise presents a graphic reminder to young drivers, through the use of staged accident scenes, of the dangers of driving while distracted or intoxicated.

'Tickets' issued

The storyline began several weeks ago as the Tennessee Highway Patrol ticketed Viking drivers for minor traffic offenses. So many, in fact, that Judge Charles Rich scheduled a court date in the school library to accommodate all the offenders.

Parents were required to attend court with their children on Wednesday, where Rich offered leniency. Charges would be dismissed if the group would agree to attend a safety class.

"The whole purpose behind this, it's prom time -- and the [highway patrol] can tell you, the last several years in this county, around this time of year ... we have lost one or more of our students here," said Rich.

Grim statistics

According to the THP, teen drivers account for more than 50,000 accidents each year in Tennessee, with fatalities occurring in over 200.

Once released from the mock court, students joined their peers just behind the school where an accident scene had been staged. The car and van selected for use had been wrecked in separate accidents involving Community students this year.

Horrific 'crash'

Original post:
Anatomy of a crash: Mock accident motivates teens