Mock Car Crash
The
Mock Car Crash is a staple activity of many SADD chapters. But it is important
to remember that "scare" tactics have been shown to have only limited
impact. Think carefully about how you can make a real difference among your
peers. Use this activity in conjunction with other steps that will have a
lasting influence. The issues of underage drinking and impaired driving should
be approached with a comprehensive education and prevention plan.
Reading about a tragedy in your local newspaper or seeing something broadcast
on your nightly news might catch your attention. It’s terrible, but it
is something terrible that has happened to somebody else. And if the news
is too upsetting, you can turn the page or change the channel. But having
an impaired driving crash hit home makes a tremendous impact. In this mock
car crash demonstration, students play an active role. Teens will be asked
to sit in the driver’s seat and experience firsthand what it might feel
like to injure passengers and kill friends and loved ones.
This demonstration requires help from your school administrators and local
fire and police departments and hospital. Through the combined efforts of
these agencies and services, the mock crash demonstration will simulate the
arrest, rescue, and medical transport of the injured students and the deaths
of others.
The demonstration is divided into two distinct segments: 1) the crash and
rescue and 2) comments from the people who performed the emergency services.
The crash and rescue portion should be as realistic as possible. The police
(with sirens) should be the first on the scene, followed by EMS, rescue truck,
and fire department. The "Jaws of Life" and/or medical air units
might then be used. Injured students are removed from the cars, the driver
is given a sobriety test, and the dead students left for the coroner, who
pronounces them dead and ships them off in body bags.
Some of the most emotional moments of the event will be the comments from
the participants: the medic who attends to the injured victims and a police
officer who gives a chilling account of breaking the bad news to parents and
loved ones who were waiting for their children to come home.
Setting Up The Event:
Participants
– Successful dramatizations have the support of the entire community,
starting with the school administration and including as many local volunteers
as possible. Try to obtain community support early. The expertise and real-life
experience of police officers and medical staff members will be invaluable.
Student Volunteers – Student volunteers are crucial to getting
the message across. The student body will relate better to participants who
are well-known in the school. Participating students need not be cheerleaders
or sports stars, but they should be recognizable to their classmates.
Communication – Setting up a dramatization requires a great deal
of time and communication. Letters to volunteers, follow-up calls, and thank
you notes are all part of the process for a successful event. Make a list
of everyone who needs to be contacted at every stage of the event.
Planning the Event – Determine the scope of the presentation with
input from all participating groups. Discuss all of the elements associated
with a crash, from the responding squad cars and EMS vehicles to flight medics
and other special units. Creating a time line might be helpful. Remember that
mock crash demonstrations don’t necessarily need to be large, just realistic.
Location and Time – Choose the location at your school that best
meets your needs, and don’t forget to consider time constraints.
Setting the Date – Plan your demonstration to take place a week
or two before a special event such as homecoming, prom, graduation, or other
special event. Set a rain date.
Securing the Equipment – A local junkyard is an excellent source
of cars for this demonstration. Talk with the manager early about obtaining
a couple of cars and preparing them for the event. Be sure to have the fuel
tank, battery, and oil fluids removed. Make sure any cars used in this event
do not have a connection with your community; taking this step will avoid
upsetting anyone in your community who has already endured a real crash.
What to Do
- Set up the wrecked car. Arrange victims to give the appearance of their having been struck by an impaired driver. Use fake blood to intensify the effect.
- Have
policemen and paramedics demonstrate what happens when they arrive on the
scene after an impaired driving crash. Ask them to arrest the impaired driver
and strap the victims to a backboard or pronounce them dead and cover them
with
a sheet. - Discuss the event. Elicit comments from the people who performed the emergency services, friends and family of the "deceased," and participants who witnessed the event.
Download a printable pdf version
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