I\’m Rob McCord, Pennsylvania State Treasurer. Each year, Treasury receives millions of dollars in unclaimed property from abandoned bank accounts, forgotten stocks, uncashed checks, life insurance policies, safe deposit boxes and other sources.

Last year, the Pennsylvania Treasury returned over $108 million to 83,000 state residents — over $27 million of that was returned in Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties.

Prom season is fast approaching, and for many teens, this time of year offers a taste of new freedoms and the temptation to engage in risky behavior. A new study of 11th and 12th grade students from across the country shows that teens don\’t recognize the dangers of driving on prom and graduation night, even though they recognize their peers may be more likely to drink on these occasions. Nearly all of the students surveyed, 90 percent, reported that their peers are more likely to drink on prom night and 79 percent reported the same for graduation night. Despite believing that their peers are more likely to drink during prom and graduation, only 29 percent reported that they believe driving on prom night is dangerous, while 25 percent said the same for graduation night. 

The study surveyed over 2,500 students and was conducted by ORC Guideline for Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).

What You Can Do to Help Keep Prom Goers and New Graduates Safe?

To keep celebrations safe and healthy, here are some helpful tips and advice for parents and caregivers:

Know Your Teens\’ Plans and tell them to update you if the itinerary changes so you\’re aware of their whereabouts.

Check In With Them Via Text – they are more likely to reply, since it\’s discreet. You can send messages like \”Hope ur having a gr8 time!\” or \”U OK?\” before and after the dance.

Trust Your Teens and resist the urge to hover. You\’ve filled them in on the rules and the risks – chances are they got the message.

Additional Resources:

From May 17 through May 21, the north walkway on the Ben Franklin Bridge will be open from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., daily. Walkway hours are weather permitting. The south walkway is closed for repairs and maintenance.

\”We are pleased to continue to work closely with the bike community and always welcome them and pedestrians to use the walkway of the Ben Franklin Bridge, one of the few bridges in the country that provides for three modes of transportation,\” said DRPA CEO John J. Matheussen. The Delaware River Port Authority is a regional transportation agency. DRPA owns and operates the Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry and Betsy Ross bridges, PATCO, the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal and the RiverLink Ferry.