National Program Aims to Curb Teenage Drunk Driving Through Real-Life Simulation in California High Schools
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For decades, parents and adult community members have actively tried to find programs that would help get a message through to their teens, a message that would stick: drinking and driving has a great potential to turn deadly. These older community members knew the program would have to be emotional and poignant in order for it to stick, and they have found what they were looking for in a program called Every 15 Minutes. The program is so-named to acknowledge that every 15 minutes, someone in the United States dies in an alcohol-related car accident. This program offers a real-life experience of the dangers of drunk driving without the real-life risks. Their goal is to "challenge students to think about drinking, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions." Their methods to achieve this effect are both dramatic and emotional, but the program has found a way to elicit change - a change that will undoubtedly spare some families the trauma and grief of losing a loved-one as a result of a drunk driver. This year alone, Every 15 Minutes will be visiting over 35 High Schools in California, and many more throughout the nation.
Although the Every 15 Minutes program is a community-run endeavor, the majority of it is staged at their High School. At the beginning of the first day, one of the Every 15 Minutes volunteers, dressed as the "Grim Reaper", goes into the classrooms and, in 15 minute increments, removes students from class. These students are now a part of the "living dead." The students making up the "living dead" are pre-selected from a cross-section from the entire student body. Immediately after a student is removed from class, a police officer from the community will enter the classroom and read an obituary written by the parents of the selected student. The obituary explains the circumstances of their child's death and lists contributions they made to their school and community.
A few minutes later, the student returns to their classroom in white face paint, a black Every 15 Minutes t-shirt, and a coroner's tag. Once these students become members of the "living dead," they cannot speak or interact with anyone for the remainder of the program. At this same time, the parents of the "dead" students receive notification of their child's "death" at their work or home.
The removal of students halts at lunch-time, after which a 911 call comes on over the intercom announcing an accident has occurred. A mock collision on the school grounds is viewable to the student body at this point. A few of the "living dead" are set up at the scene in elaborate make-up and the Fire Department, Coroner's Office, Police Department, and Paramedics show up to the scene of the "drunk driving accident" and begin administering aide as if they had just arrived at the scene. The Fire Department uses the Jaws-Of-Life to pry the injured from the car, while those "dead" at the scene are placed in body bags. Those still "alive" are placed on stretchers, given CPR, and are placed in an ambulance or Flight-For-Life helicopter and taken to the nearest hospital. The police officers on the scene will investigate, arrest, and book the "drunk driver."
For those who were "involved" in the accident, they are taken to the hospital, where they attempt to treat the injuries, or the morgue, where the "dead" are tagged and processed. That night, all involved in the accident as well as the rest of the "living dead" are taken to a hotel where they begin a retreat. During this time, each student is asked to write a letter to their parents explaining all the things they did have a chance to say. The parents write a similar letter to their children.
The next morning starts with a mock funeral for all of the "dead." A video compiled of scenes from the day before is viewed and then the parents of the "living dead" are asked to read the letters they wrote to their child, after which the "living dead" then read their letters. Organizers of the Every 15 Minutes program agree the most poignant moment of the assembly is toward the end of the mock funeral when a parent who lost a child because of a drunk driver speaks to the entire assembly about their traumatic experience.
After the "funeral" the "living dead" are allowed to rejoin the rest of the student body for activities which include trying on drunk goggles. The drunk goggles allow students to experience the impairment caused by drinking without actually consuming any alcohol. Every 15 Minutes focuses on including the whole community, not just the teenagers, because the object is to reiterate that drunk driving does not just effect the person who has been drinking.
Every 15 Minutes wants to create an impression on the community, and especially the teenagers, who have just started or are about to start driving and who just started or are about to start driving and who are easily seduced by temptations such as alcohol. Every 15 Minutes hopes that by utilizing a strategy that involves real-life simulations, the "experience" of the horrific consequences to drinking and driving will stick with these teens longer than programs requiring much less interaction. The goal is to help teens realize the responsible choice when offered alcohol and perhaps elicit flashbacks to their experience in Every 15 Minutes.
The program makes itself available to schools in California and nationwide from the end of March through May of every year as well as a few weekends in the fall. If you would like to learn more about the program or how to schedule a visit to your school, visit www.every15minutes.com.
