A visual lesson generally tends to carry a far more significant impact than a classroom lecture.
Sundre High School students recently had the opportunity to witness a staged but otherwise realistically choreographed collision scenario that involved the participation of drama club students as well as local emergency responders, including the RCMP, EMS and the Sundre Fire Department.
Complemented by fake blood and injuries, the drama students convincingly played the roles of a deceased victim, two severely wounded passengers as well as a suspect responsible for causing the crash, which was set up courtesy of Bulldog Towing.
Students watched from the sidelines as crews worked to extricate trapped passengers, offering a glimpse at the horror that a real situation would involve.
This was the third year in a row the event, which is followed by a presentation from local people whose lives have been impacted by impaired or distracted driving, was held.
The main goal behind the staged crash is to really drive home ó pun intended ó the fact that one single ill-advised decision as a motorist can have a disastrously detrimental ripple effect that can irreversibly damage many people's lives.
The scenario is a part of the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-Related Trauma in Youth program.
"We feel the PARTY program is a timely and powerful event for students to participate in. Being able to see ëreal-life' situations and listen to personal stories of victims helps students realize the impact of making poor decisions around driving while distracted or under the influence," said Scott Saunders, Sundre High School and Sundre Learning Centre principal.
The principal makes a valid and rather irrefutable point.
There is an ocean of difference between showing students the potentially deadly results of poor decisions before getting behind the wheel as opposed to merely telling them in a classroom lecture.
The former is far more likely to stay front and centre in the mind of a young adult faced with the decision of driving distracted or impaired. Peer pressure can always be a powerful motivator, so empowering students and preparing them to confidently say "no" is vital ó especially with graduation just around the corner.
After all, the life they save might well be their own.
ó Simon Ducatel, Round Up editor
