A mock DUI crash riveted the San Luis Obispo High School campus Thursday and Friday — leaving some students emotionally shaken and ready to pledge against drinking and driving.
The Every 15 Minutes program, paid for through a grant from the state Office of Traffic Safety, aims to challenge students to think carefully about drinking and driving and the impacts a bad decision can have on themselves and their family and friends.
“Students were involved at every level of the program,” Principal Will Jones said. “They got really into it and experienced it as if it was really happening — it was intense.”
Students played various roles throughout the event, including those of the victims of the crash and the drunken driver.
The simulated event included flying one “injured” student to the hospital in a helicopter and taking the “driver” to jail to be fingerprinted. Students were pulled from class every 15 minutes to represent the number of people who die from drunken driving accidents every day.
A mock cemetery was set up in the high school’s quad that included pictures of the students on tombstones. Families of the students were also invited to participate.
“I can’t say enough about the students and what they put into this event and the courage that it took to participate,” Jones said.
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