This April, Woodlawn High’s Team Spirit Club, along with ICare, sponsored a Mock Crash on campus. This crash is the second part of a three part series, The Sudden Impact Program, that students at Woodlawn participate in. As tenth graders, students take a Sudden Impact class, followed by the Mock Crash for juniors, and a Mock Trial for seniors.
Four students, Ma’Kayla Odom, Alexis Martin, Hannah Luker, and Selena Seitz, played the parts of students involved in a head on collision. Their parents, along with personnel from Our Lady of the Lake Medical Emergency Center, Louisiana State Police, St. George Fire Department, and the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office, took their respective roles as the scene unfolded for the Mock Crash.
The scene was a reenactment of the immediate aftermath of a crash in which drivers and passengers are injured. The audience of juniors watched quietly, allowing them to see first-hand how drinking and driving impacts everyone involved.
Each year teens from across our state lose their lives to impaired driving. Motor Vehicle Crashes remain the leading cause of death for teenagers aged 16 to 19 years of age, according to the Centers for Disease Control. This age group is three times more likely than drivers ages 20 and older to be involved in a fatal crash.
The Mock Crash underscored the consequences of drinking and driving, the impact of seat belt usage, and the emotional suffering families endure when a fatal crash occurs in reality. The ultimate goal is that seeing friends participate in the crash helps students realize that it can happen to anyone at any point in time, and the importance of really needing to be responsible for their actions. The Sudden Impact Program is an effective way to educate students on the dangers of distracted driving.
