Nashville area high schools are working hard to show their students the real consequences of drinking and driving on prom night. Schools in this area and all over the country often use mock car crashes to show students a realistic representation of what can happen if they choose to drive drunk.
Prom night car crashes are a significant cause of avoidable injury and death in the Nashville area each year. As we discussed in our last posts, teens in Tennessee experience a higher rate of car accidents throughout the year than other segments of the population, and drunk driving is a contributing factor.
The Dickson County Sherriff's office is also stepping in with a safety and awareness education program that partners with local students to address underage drinking and tobacco use. The Sherriff's office participated in the staging of a mock crash at Creek Wood High School this year, providing emergency responders to enact a realistic chain of events after a crash occurs.
As in many real-life drunk driving car crashes, the mock crash at Creek Wood resulted in serious injuries and one fatality for the passengers, but left the driver without significant harm. The volunteer police officers staged an arrest of the young man playing to driver to emphasize to students that causing a fatal car accident can lead to serious criminal penalties. Negligently causing a car accident can also lead to civil liability for injuries and deaths. Victims of car accidents are entitled to compensation from a driver who was drunk at the time of the accident.
Source: The Tennesean, "Pupils, teachers, law stress sober driving for prom," Josh Arntz, April 24, 2012.