| June 18, 2007 | Volume 82, Number 17 | |
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Every 15 minutesA new experimental program called “Every 15 Minutes” uses shock treatment to drive home to teenagers the message that drinking and driving can be a deadly combination. While some parents and educators may question that it goes too far because it fakes a deadly accident with real students who are part of the simulated scene, the result is that it really gets the message out. There are tears and screams of anguish from teenagers who would experience the same emotions if the accident were real. Since there are approximately 300 teenagers killed in alcohol-related accidents during prom season, it’s not that far a stretch to stage such a drama which all too often is real. Students at Notre Dame High School in Easton, Pa. recently were exposed to the program and it got positive results. One morning at 8 students arrived at school, not knowing anything out of the ordinary would happen. A fake collision soon occurs which includes students portraying a trapped driver and passenger in the victim car, and a drunk driver and passenger in the other vehicle. A police officer dressed as “the grim reaper” visits the classrooms and calls out a student’s name asking that person to “come with me.” Then a uniformed police officer enters the classroom and reads that student’s obituary, which includes the person’s school accomplishments and surviving family members. The program gets more intense when participating students board a bus clearly marked with a banner proclaiming “Every 15 Minutes” as the logo. They don’t go home but stay overnight at a nearby camp. The student’s absence from home is meant to simulate that he or she is “gone” from his or her everyday life. Parents are advised ahead of the program, and willingly allow the simulation hoping it will teach a lesson they want their teens to hear. The program works as many students will attest. “The faces I saw were really affected — tears, people holding hands and holding each other and just really shocked by what they saw,” student Chris Morganelli said. Some critics say it is cruel to fake such a trauma, but those educators who permit the program in their schools and parents say it packs a powerful message that cannot be realized any other way. If nothing else, it certainly does promote a healthy dialogue about a critical problem that unfortunately will affect many families this summer and throughout the year.
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