REALITY: Poly seniors reflect on the terrible dangers that negligent driving poses through the Every Fifteen Minutes program.
By Matt Kaye, Staff Writer
Driving is one of the rights of passage that many high school students undergo as they continue down the path towards graduating. The risk behind driving is no disputed fact. According to Amanda Snowden of the Riverside Police Department (RPD), “65% of teenage death is because of traffic collisions.” This high-risk factor leaves no reason to wonder why Poly students could use distracted driving awareness and education.
With Poly’s students facing high probabilities of car accidents, Poly administrators partnered with many Riverside organizations to arrange a two-day presentation for the senior class. March 12, the first day, involved a surprise car accident scene. The simulation allowed students to experience the devastation of a car crash. Several students participated in the scene by portraying dead pedestrians, a dead passenger and a conscious but guilty driver, all wearing convincing makeup. This staged accident could not have been done without the local police. “Riverside Police Department [is] the head agency for it, and then other agencies partner with us, and we get a grant to do it through CHP [California Highway Patrol],” RPD Officer Nicole Defries said.
The following day, the seniors continued the program by attending an assembly that focused on the effects of distracted driving. Parents, students, Councilman Soubirous, Mayor William Rusty Bailey and many police and fire officials attended the presentation. The assembly began with the screening of a film that explained the lead-up to the accident, the accident itself and the repercussions. The “dead” student participants returned from an overnight retreat to take part in the assembly. The night before, the students were asked to write letters to their parents about what they would say to their loved ones if they had the chance to say a final good-bye. The students’ parents also wrote letters to their children. At the assembly, some parents and students read their letters for everyone to hear. Additionally, the police officers, Mayor Bailey and Principal Dr. Michael Roe spoke to students about their experiences with distracted driving incidents. “In thirteen years, I’ve had an opportunity to bury over eight students,” Dr. Roe said. “When I was a student, I lost a friend […] when I was a teacher here, I lost a student,” Mayor Bailey added. In attendance was a man who drove under the influence of alcohol and ended up paralyzing himself. He offered a first-hand account about how his decision to drive distractedly continues to affect him.
To make the entire event a success, the RPD and CHP collaborated to continue the annual event, which is held at a different school in the district each year. The RPD, the CHP, American Medical Response, the California Office of Traffic Safety, Riverside Community Hospital, the Riverside District Attorney’s Office, the Riverside Fire Department and many more public and private associations contributed to the project to create a powerful message against drunk and distracted driving.
The facts have shown how dangerous distracted driving is, and the increased risks for teenagers are too large to ignore. Students at Poly are certainly not an exception to the dangers of teenage driving, but with the education and awareness that this program brought, they can reduce the risks.