Sheriff's Department Offers Prom Night Safety Tips

Columbia High School students will be dressed their best and ready to dance Friday at . 

The sheriff's department wants to make sure students have a safe night and avoid driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, underage drinking and unsafe sex. 

Sheriff Leon Lott reminds parents that serving alcohol to minors can result in fines, jail time or both. Deputies will be patrolling the county on prom night, Lott said. 

The sheriff's department encourages anyone who sees or hears of an underage drinking party to call Crimestoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC.

Here are some tips for parents to make sure their teens are safe on prom night:

• If teens are driving themselves to the prom, keep a list of names and phone numbers of each teen rider, along with names and addresses of all the parents. 
• Insist that the car radio be kept at a low volume, limit the number of teen passengers to minimize distractions for the driver and require each teen to wear a seatbelt. 
• Get a complete itinerary, including who your teen will be partying with, addresses and phone numbers for the prom location as well as any after-parties your teen plans to attend.
• Find out who will be supervising the prom and after-parties. Be sure to speak directly with any parents supervising after-parties your teen wishes to attend.
• Insist that there are to be no changes made to the itinerary without your prior approval, and make this a firm rule with no exceptions allowed.
• If your teen will be renting a limo, be sure to check the limo company’s driving record, and don’t be afraid to ask the company to provide it to you.
• Make sure your teen knows how to contact you throughout the night. Consider arranging specific check-in times, and make sure you can contact your teen throughout the entire night.
• Communicate with your teen specifically about how she would handle difficult situations such as being offered a ride by an intoxicated driver, being offered alcohol or drugs, or pressure to have sex. Be sure to provide parental instruction on how best to deal with problems that may arise.
• Make sure your teen has phone numbers to trustworthy cab companies programmed into his cell phone, and plenty of money to cover the cost of a cab ride, if deemed necessary for any reason.