Valencia High School students were shocked into reality Tuesday during a program designed to tug at their heartstrings in an effort to prevent DUI crashes.
The Every 15 Minutes program works to reduce the amount of deadly traffic related incidents caused by reckless driving practices. With a focus on distracted driving and driving under the influence of controlled substances, the program simulates of the consequences of breaking the law when behind the wheel.
Valencia High School was the site of the most recent simulation where students and members of the community took in the dramatization of a head-on collision.
“Its a privilege to live in a community that shows the importance of not drinking and driving,” said Stacy Moya, mother of a Valencia High student participating in the simulation.
Emergency crews from the Los Angeles County fire and sheriff’s department worked to demonstrate what a response looks like in a real alcohol-related collision, going as far as removing the roof of one the vehicles.
Principal John Costanzo, whose daughter participated in the event in 2002, said the importance of the event is paramount because it makes students face reality.
“When my daughter participated, she was one of the students selected to ‘die’,” Costanzo said.
“It still gave that feeling that it changes the life of that family,” the principal said regarding people who lose a loved one in deadly DUI crashes.
