‘Don’t Crash the Prom’ returns to MHS ahead of the big dance

By Monica D. Spencer, Senior Maricopa Reporter
May 7, 2026

Crash course

Maricopa High School junior Lindy Tappe is all set for prom this weekend.

She chose a silky, sage green dress for the Saturday dance and knows just how to do her hair and makeup. She also said she is “just looking forward to making memories” with friends.

But before the music, the dancing and the photos, Tappe and her classmates received a sobering reminder this morning: don’t drink and drive.

MHS students watched a skit for “Don’t Crash the Prom” on the school lawn, a brief but chilling warning for students that a night of celebration and fun can easily turn into tragedy.

The skit includes four students involved in a drunk driving crash, with one arrested, two injured and one killed in the collision.

According to 2024 data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Arizona saw 43 deaths in crashes involving a teen driver with a blood alcohol content of 0.01% or higher.

MHS senior Kaylin Hansen said she had an emotional reaction to seeing the skit.

“I’ve heard of some other students have been involved in similar situations like this, so I had some strong emotional feelings towards it,” she said.

Tappe said she also had a personal connection to the skit. Her father died in a motorcycle crash on Riggs Road near State Route 347 in 2024.

“I think [the performers] did an amazing job. People have seen accidents before but actually getting to see what it could be like is really impactful,” she said.

“Don’t Crash the Prom” has been a long tradition for MHS students ahead of prom. American Family Insurance agent Chris Cahall has been hosting the event for 12 years, which he said was inspired by seeing a similar skit when he was in high school.

“I felt this would be worthwhile to the kids because … there isn’t anything that really hits home like an actual tragedy of losing one of their classmates,” Cahall said. “We always hope that would never happen, but I feel this skit and event puts that in perspective.”

After the skit and a few brief speeches, Cahall invited the students to write messages to each other and deceased loved ones on the totaled cars. Hansen said she wrote “it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“You never want to end up in a situation like this and it’s just better to wait a couple hours or have a designated driver,” she said.

Tappe wrote a message to her dad.

“Accidents had an impact on me and my family, but also with every accident there’s a family whose been impacted,” she said.

Cahall said he hoped students walked away with a little more awareness in the days before prom.

“These kids have so much promise. They have so much more opportunity than I had,” Cahall said. “I just hope that, if they for one split second have a choice to make, that it’s going to be the choice that keeps them safe and loved and healthy.”

Maricopa High School students watch a skit for "Don't Crash the Prom" on May 7, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]

Monica D. Spencer, Senior Maricopa Reporter

Monica is a government and economic development reporter for InMaricopa since February 2023. Previously, she worked for The Arizona Republic’s breaking news desk and visuals department.