The Mississippi Highway Patrol has partnered with the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services to kick off the 2022 PROM Campaign.

PROM — Please Return On Monday — is a safety campaign in its fifth year aimed at educating teens on the importance of making safe driving decisions during the upcoming high school prom season. MHP public affairs officers and MDRS speakers will visit school assemblies statewide to talk about seatbelt usage, impaired and distracted driving, and the impact of making risky decisions behind the wheel.

In 2019, PROM was presented to 36 schools reaching 9,963 students. Due to the pandemic, only one program was conducted in 2020. In 2021, however, PROM was able to reach 3,651 students and another 7,500 through Facebook Live. Twenty-seven programs have been scheduled so far in 2022 and 45 more are expected to be conducted.

“Through the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services’ continued partnership with MHP, we can provide prom-bound students with a ‘full-circle’ of consequences if they choose to drink and drive, text and drive or not buckle up,” said MDRS Executive Director Chris Howard. “This program emphasizes the safe practices we hope students will utilize during one of the most fun nights of their high school lives and also shows a real-life look at consequences that could happen should they choose not to make safe decisions.  The goal of PROM is to help ensure that every student makes it back home and returns to school safely.”

“As a father, the potential impact of this program on my children and others is crucial,” said Commissioner Sean Tindell. “The Mississippi Highway Patrol and the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services have built an incredible presentation of the harsh reality of consequences that come from making certain decisions. I’m proud of how many students have been impacted and how many will be impacted after they’ve experienced PROM.”

“Educating our youth about the dangers of making bad decisions behind the wheel is a mission the Mississippi Highway Patrol takes very seriously,” said Col. Randy Ginn. “We look forward to our annual partnership with the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services for the opportunity of impacting our teens at this very crucial juncture in their lives.”

Watch the Mississippi School Resource PROM video.