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Mock drunk driving accident hopes to spur caution among teens

On May 22, the Ohio State Highway Patrol conducted a mock crash drill at Indian Creek High School in Wintersville, Ohio. The troopers worked in conjunction with multiple first responders to give high school kids a sobering look at what a drunk driving accident might look like in real life.

Officials organized the event just prior to this year’s prom. Prom is traditionally a time when teens are more apt to take risks while driving. A local wrecker donated vehicles for the presentation, which was set up to resemble a drunk driver plowing sideways into the midsection of a car full of teens returning from a movie. A group of kids from the high school’s chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions applied fake blood and other makeup to the occupants of the cars to resemble real-world injuries.

Officials worked hard at making the scene as graphic and visual as they could. They recognize that kids today are visual learners, and they relied on lots of imagery to drive home the importance of remaining safe and not driving drunk. Event planners even went so far as using flashing lights and blaring sirens as first responders practiced extracting the participants from the crushed vehicles. Several of the students were whisked away in a helicopter to simulate an airlift to an area hospital. The Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney was also on hand, as was the Wintersville Fire and Police departments.

In real life, people injured from drunk driving accidents are not able to simply wipe off the makeup and fake bandages shortly after a collision. For many people the road to physical recovery can take years of costly medical treatments. Victims also may be unable to work as a result of their injuries. Those victims may be able to sue the drunk driver who injured them and recover some of their expenses.

Source: WTOV 9, “Mock crash impacts students at Indian Creek” No author given, May. 22, 2014