High school students in Arizona learned a lesson about the realities of driving under the influence last month. Students at Fort Thomas High School participated in a mock accident that displayed a realistic auto tragedy. The end results showed the severe and real consequences of a DUI.
Just days before prom was to take place, a time when many teens choose to use drugs and subsequently drive, the teens of this southwest school gathered on the football field to participate and watch the mock situation play out.
Five students from the high school served as actors in the staged accident. At the scene were two vehicles involved in a very realistic looking head-on car crash. The crash was the result of a student drinking and driving.
A fire truck, police car, and local ambulance joined the mock effort to bring reality closer to home for these young adolescents. Flashing lights and blaring sirens could be witnessed from afar. These local city servants helped the teens see the consequences of driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Jaws of Life were used to open a car roof and peel loose closed doors, freeing the mock actors from the totaled vehicles. The "injured "students were then placed on backboards and air flighted to local hospitals in helicopters.
The uninjured driver of the vehicle was tested for alcohol, arrested and taken to jail. One student was pronounced "dead" making the scene even more grueling. The scene showed the consequences of getting behind the wheel of a car after using alcohol or drugs.
Some students interviewed were shaken by the mock DUI. Some indicated that the accident made them think twice about using drugs or alcohol and driving. Adults involved hope the recreation will allow teens to think twice before drinking and driving in the future.
