(Radio Iowa) – It’s prom season in Iowa, time for tuxedos, gowns and corsages — as well as after-prom parties. Trooper Paul Gardner, with the Iowa State Patrol in Fort Dodge, says those late-night bashes can be a recipe for disaster.  “One thing we really need to discourage is attending parties and get together s that involve alcohol,” Gardner says, “because it seems like that is the number-one contributing factor, when it comes to getting teens in trouble, when they’re involved in car crashes.” A report from Mothers Against Drunk Driving finds 31-percent of all fatal crashes involving teenage drivers also involve alcohol, while 84-percent of teens believe their friends are more likely to drive impaired than to call their parents for a ride.

“We need to make sure that any teenagers who are going to these parties stay sober, because if they’re caught underage in possession of alcohol, they can get cited for being a minor in possession,” Gardner says. “We also need to discourage going to parties that involve alcohol because we do have a social host law in Iowa where the homeowner or whoever’s running the party can also be criminally charged.” As the weather gets warmer, traffic on Iowa’s roads typically picks up.

Iowa State Patrol photo

“The days are getting longer so we do see traffic tend to go later into the night,” Gardner says. “We haven’t had too many problems as of yet with teenage drivers, so let’s hope we keep that trend. So far, every prom, I have not heard of any major incidents that have happened.”

Some Iowa parents are turning to “safe prom promises,” having their teens sign a document, vowing to stay alcohol- and drug-free, and to never drive impaired or ride with an impaired driver.