By: Isabella Gill and Desiree Stewart
On September 24th, 2019, juniors and seniors (and some sophomores) were shown two programs; one in the morning, and one in the afternoon. It was called VIP for a VIP (Vehicle Injury Prevention for a Very Important Person.) The program was started in 1998 on the concept “if they could only see what we see,” as emergency responders, in hopes that teens would make better choices when it comes to driving.
Despite the importance of the program, dozens of students were visibly upset after each session.
“There was an email sent out to teachers that they were supposed to share with the students. It talked about the nature of the program, that it did deal with death; especially in lieu of…we just lost a student, even though it was not due to a traffic-related accident. But obviously we were mindful that some students were in a pretty sensitive space,” said Principal of EGHS, Lance Sockwell
More than 40% of all 15 to 20-year-old deaths result from motor vehicle crashes. In 2007, 31% of fatal teen crashes involved alcohol. Sixty five percent of all passengers and drivers who died were not wearing seatbelts. In 2007 3,174 teens were killed and 252,000 were injured. Three hundred and sixty-four of these young drivers did not have a valid drivers license.
“There have been so many accidents with teenage drivers. I had seen the program before, so I knew it was emotional but powerful. It felt like the message overrides the negative piece of it,” said Sockwell
Sockwell, himself lost a family member due to a traffic accident.
“It definitely didn’t involve texting because it was 1989, we didn’t have cellphones back then. We don’t really know for sure; we think she ran off the road, over-corrected, and hit another car head-on,” said Sockwell
According to the VIP website, the mission of the program is to bring the sight, sound, and smell of a fatal vehicle accident to high school students in a dramatic way with the hope of embedding the consequences of these events into the minds of teenage drivers. These events can occur in one moment of inattention: texting, looking away from the road to change the radio, and even driving while being impaired.
The morning program during second block consisted of guest speakers (EMS, policemen, and a woman who lost her son in 2010 because of a wreck), a PowerPoint slideshow, videos, and funeral arrangements at the front of the room. It lasted roughly an hour.
The afternoon program during fourth block was a mock-crash. There was a tarp covering the vehicle, and when it was pulled off, shock rang through. The car was mashed, a telephone pole going through the windshield, and a bloody man lying in the seat. We sat and watched as EMS showed up, policemen, and the parents of the son. The boy “died” in front of us, was put into a body bag, and taken away. According to VIP, the afternoon session was “The real deal…a text, speed, couple of beers, no seatbelt, inexperience…sirens.”
The programs that students sat through on Tuesday, were graphic, disheartening, and tear-jerking. Some students thought the program was too much for them to handle. Many students have gone through similar tragedies while being in the vehicle with family members or friends. Bad memories were brought back, tears were spilled, and the auditorium was silent, with only the sound of teens crying could be heard.
No one laughed, no one made jokes, and no one played games on their phone. The realization of everything that could happen in a split-second while we’re driving was set into everyone’s mind. At that moment, every student realized just how important it is for us to be safe drivers. We don’t want our parents to be left with the grief of losing their child over one call, one text, one moment of inattention. Too many teens have lost their lives because of reckless actions while in the car.
We promised to ourselves that we wouldn’t be another number to be added to that list. We don’t want to be another statistic, another grave, another dead child.
Here’s what students had to say:
Q: What did you think of the presentation this morning?
A: I thought it was really powerful, I cried a lot. At first, I didn’t take it seriously and I was joking about it. Then as I started to go through the program, I finally realized. When the woman started speaking about losing her son, I just lost it.
Q: Some students think they took it too far, do you agree?
A: No, not at all. I think they took the right measures because it’s something that is very serious. We have students die every year from car crashes.
- Hailey Lorenz
Q: So, you were in the auditorium for the program, what did you think of it? Did you cry?
A: I was only there for the car crash; I was at Weaver, so I didn’t know. But the car crash was kind of sad. No.
Q: Some students thought that it was too much. What do you think?
A: I mean, you have to see what happens. If it happens in real life, we know what to expect.
Q: Have you been through this, or has a family member been in a wreck?
A: No.
Q: Do you drive? Has this made you hesitant to drive?
A: No. Kinda yeah, I’m scared
Q: Would you have preferred to not have gone at all?
A: No.
- Amari Fousc
Q: Some kids thought it was a little too much, what did you think?
A: No because I didn’t know the people.
Q: Have you been through this, or has a family member been in a wreck?
A: Yes. My mom was drunk under 18.
Q: Do you drive? Has it made you hesitant to drive?
A: I’m just starting to, yeah. My mom is in the car with me, so not really.
Q: Would you have preferred to not have gone at all?
A: I didn’t really want to go in there. But when I went, it opened my eyes a little bit to not drink and drive, smoke, be on your phone; that’s a big distraction for teens now a days.
- Keyon Mccray-Tobias