By Julie Johansen and Scottie Draper
Every 15 minutes an accident is caused by a drunk or distracted driver. Law enforcement, firefighters, EMTs and other first responders flooded Emery High School on Thursday as a community-wide effort took place to bring this unfortunate statistic to life.
“Life’s lessons are best learned through experience,” the Every 15 Minutes program shares. “Unfortunately, when the target audience is teens and the topic is drinking and texting while driving, experience is not the teacher of choice.”
That is why a mock event has been organized at schools across the country and has become a frequent event at Emery High. The event begins in the morning with a mock, two-vehicle accident caused by someone driving under the influence. Students from Emery High play a part in the accident scene, acting as victims and suspects in the incident. Students’ parents are also involved, arriving at the crash scene along with first responders.
“This emotionally charged program is an event designed to dramatically instill teenagers with the potentially dangerous consequences of drinking alcohol and texting while driving,” the program shares.
In the afternoon, students then made their way to an assembly for a “funeral” for fallen classmates as well as a mock trial for the drunk driver. Parents who had experienced the loss of a child also spoke at the event, retelling their real life experience with a tragic accident.
This emotional event not only provides an educational opportunity for students, but also training for local first responders.
