During the presentation, officials staged a realistic simulation of a two-car accident, complete with twisted metal, ambulances, arrests, blood and bodies.
“We're trying to show these students the realistic consequences of their choices,” said Linda Perez of Victim Services. “It was as real as we could make it.”
Students who were “killed” during the exercise were whisked from classes, crosses with their names were placed in front of the school, parents were informed of their children's deaths and obituaries were read.
The message was dramatic, but simple at its core — think before you drink.
“The number one killer of young people between the ages of 16 and 25 is alcohol-related car accidents,” said James White, an agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. “We wanted to show these students an incident where one of their friends made a choice to drink and drive, then they saw the consequence of that choice.”
BSHS Principal Mike Ritchey said the event was very timely.
“With prom and graduation coming up, this is a good time for this program,” Ritchey said. “If it can touch one kid, make a difference in just one life ... and lead them to make better choices, I think that would make this program a success.”
While it is doubtful teenage drunk driving will disappear anytime soon, officials hope the program has a positive impact on young people.
“My feeling is that some of these kids are going to get involved in things they really shouldn't get involved with,” White said. “My hope is that before they actually commit to those things, they will stop and think about the consequences.”
Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at
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