Young men and women are busy ordering dresses and tuxes, coordinating colors, making dinner reservations — and plans for what everyone’s doing afterward.

Both Bradford and Smethport high schools will host their annual prom next weekend, May 4. Ahead of that annual rite of passage for many teenagers, school district officials, Pennsylvania State Police and local emergency responders are teaming up to show students — in living color — the potentially deadly consequences of poor decisions.

Both districts will host a Prom Promise mock crash Monday, Smethport at 10 a.m. for its sophomores, juniors and seniors; and Bradford at 1 p.m. for its juniors and seniors.

Trooper Andrew Eliason, helping to organize the day at BHS, said the event presents the effects of driving under the influence (DUI).

A mock crash in the parking lot will have injured actors, and one actor will be arrested for DUI. If available, Mercy Flight will conduct a flyover of the scene. Following the crash, McKean County District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD; or similar organization) and a family member of a Bradford teenager killed in a 2008 drunk driving accident will present in the BHS auditorium.

Stephanie Scrivo, with McKean County Department of Emergency Services, said Smethport’s mock crash will include a helicopter landing on the school’s practice football field.

Prom Promise mock crashes are held by districts across the country, hoping to prevent a real one as students turn their attention toward celebrating the milestones of a high school career.

Spearheaded by Nationwide Insurance in 1990, the initiative aims to reduce drunk driving and engage students in the Prom Promise, a pledge not to use alcohol or drugs as they venture out on prom night.