Anti-drunk driving lessons getting more emotional, more realistic

By Carol Chmelynski

6/4/02 – The last few weeks of the senior year are usually a time for proms, graduation parties, and other fun events. For the seniors at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Ind., it was also a time for a realistic lesson on the dangers of drunk driving.

Going for a gut reaction

During a re-enactment of a fatal drunk driving accident in the school parking lot May 10, seniors were all eyes as firefighters pulled two bodies from a mangled vehicle and the rescue team wheeled away one fatality on a stretcher.

"We're going for a gut reaction here," says guidance counselor Brian Pletcher. The exercise, which involved the Fishers fire and police departments, the Fishers Tactical Rescue Team, and four student volunteers, was part of the high school's annual DARE Club Car Crash Convocation.

The program also included a seven-minute video of a fatal accident involving an intoxicated driver and an emotional speech by Police Sgt. Gerry Hepp, who lost a good friend because of a drunk driver.

Teens often need more than just a stern warning when it comes to drinking and driving, says Hepp. "We're trying to touch that invincible status so many kids have at this age."

While schools have long taught about the dangers of mixing alcohol with driving, most schools appear to be taking a more realistic, emotional approach to the message.

There's evidence that this kind of program has a sobering and positive impact on students. According to Frank McCoskey of the Indiana Governor's Council on Impaired and Drunk Driving, there has been a 25 percent decrease in fatal accidents since the state started programs to curb drunk driving.

"More than 23 percent of all fatal crashes involve youthful drivers," he says. "So there is a definite need to spread information to this age group."

Speed and alcohol are the two major factors in teenage traffic accidents. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, alcohol is involved in almost half of all motor vehicle accidents that kill teenagers in the United States.

To get teens to experience the effects of alcohol without actually drinking, some schools have students try on "fatal vision" goggles that simulate the impaired vision they would have if they tried drinking and driving.

Richland Senior High School in North Richland Hills, Texas, used the goggles during a three-day drunk driving awareness program held just before the senior prom. Seniors wearing the goggles tried to drive a golf cart through an S-shaped course of cones.

Teachers tried them, too. English teacher Paula Mickish was surprised by her lack of motor skills. "I felt like the steering wheel was way to my right. This sure would make me think twice about drinking and driving," she says.

School Resource Officer Tom Cleveland, who devised the program, says schools officials hope to make it an annual event.

The Grim Reaper

Other schools have invited the "Grim Reaper" to classrooms with the hope of shocking students to think about the chance they could die in an accident if they drink and drive.

In an exercise called "Every 15 Minutes"–to signify how often a drunk driving fatality occurs–a white-faced figure dressed in black from head to toe enters a classroom and silently points to a random student, who is escorted out. The victim returns later with a black tear painted on one cheek. The victim is not allowed to speak and is pronounced "dead for the day."

The Grim Reaper has appeared at Centennial and River Hill high schools in Howard County, Md., during prom season over the years. By playing dead for a day, student volunteers demonstrate to their peers what it would be like if they lost a classmate in a drunk-driving accident because someone did not act responsibly and took a risk.

"Our hope is that we will make them reflect on the fact that they are not invincible. I think that it does have an impact on many of our students," says Centennial Principal Lynda J. Mitic.

A death is faked

There have been complaints that some schools have taken these kinds of exercises too far.

Eagle Grove (Iowa) High School has put on Grim Reaper scenarios for several years, and Laurie Legvold, drug prevention coordinator for the Eagle Grove Community School District, says students have become desensitized. So this year, the parents of junior Aaron Kay came up with a plan, approved by school officials, to make the consequences of drunk driving hit home.

According to the plan, Aaron disappeared April 17 around 5:30 p.m. after track practice. His brother, Jason, got on the Internet, asking friends if they had seen him. The next morning, the Kay family car was parked in front of a funeral home.

Principal Susan Alborn-Yilek announced that Aaron had been killed in a drunk driving accident. A remembrance assembly was held at the school that afternoon featuring Aaron's body in a casket.

Family members read a eulogy, and a local minister said a prayer. At the end of a tear-filled, heart-wrenching assembly, Aaron walked in. Many grief-stricken students felt betrayed.

But Alborn-Yilek stands behind her decision. "Some people did get very upset and look at this as a lie instead of a role-playing exercise to benefit children, but they are truly the minority."

"The majority of our students and our community thought it was appropriate and meaningful," Alborn-Yilek says. "The best part is that students have told me 'because of this program, I changed my plans.' If one kid's life is saved because of this, then it's worth it."

A spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers says the group doesn't support the kind of exercise "that rises to the level of a hoax."

Emotional messages

Many schools across the nation have taken less extreme but still hard-hitting approaches to remind students of the consequences of drunk driving.

Some high schools for example, park cars totaled in drunk-driving accidents on the school lawn, and others bring in speakers who've suffered permanent physical disabilities in an alcohol-related car crash.

Another strategy schools use is to invite prosecuting attorneys to spell out the legal consequences and process so students understand what would happen if they were ever charged with driving under the influence.

Even elementary school students are brought into the effort. At Lindsey Elementary School in Portales, N.M., sixth graders write letters to all 140 seniors at Portales High School, asking them to not drink and drive and to make this year's graduation and prom a time of only good memories.

The activity teaches students early about the dangers of drinking and driving and gives the younger students practice in letter writing, says language arts teacher Diane Pawelski.

Many schools are using teacher and parent volunteers to host substance-free all-night graduation parties to ensure that students are off the roads and in a safe, fun-filled environment.

Schools also hold pre-prom assemblies to remind students that their decisions carry consequences. One session this year at all 10 Howard County high schools and at other schools across Maryland featured Ocean City police officers who warned students about the dangers of drinking and speeding during Senior Week, a popular celebration at the beach for new high school graduates.

Many Maryland students are given a Passport to Fun booklet that includes first-aid tips, underage-drinking laws, drug awareness information, and coupons for discounts from Ocean City merchants.

Lois Twilley, project coordinator for the Play It Safe campaign, says, "We certainly want them to celebrate–this is a momentous occasion and we congratulate them–but we want them to celebrate safely."