No incidents reported follwing graduations
Published 12:00 am Friday, May 23, 2003
Thursday night was a night of celebration for high school students throughout Covington County as graduation ceremonies were held for all six schools.
And apparently graduation night came and went with no major problems reported.
"As far as I know we did not have any major problems (in terms of accidents or other incidents commonly associated with graduation night)," said Williams. "Apparently it was an unremarkable night for us."
Williams acknowledged that during graduation night his department always hopes for the best, but is braced for any accidents or incidents which may occur."
"(Graduation night) is always a source of concern," said Williams. "We realize kids are going to be looking to have fun after graduation, and we urge them not to drink and drive. We want (the kids) to enjoy the moment, because you will only graduate from high school once, but we don't want that moment to become a tragic one."
Opp Police Department Officer Jason Blue said the night also proved to be a quiet one for his department, with no major accidents or episodes reported.
"We had a slow night," said Blue.
Drinking and driving accidents are commonly associated with graduation night, and according to the National Traffic Safety Administration, a study of prom-graduation traffic fatalities during nine spring weekends in 2000 found that between 58 and 64 percent of the fatalities were alcohol-related. More than 100 fatalities were also reported each of those weekends.