BY EMILY O’LOANE
While participating in a mock DUI during third period on April 22, senior Leah Harding experienced firsthand the repercussions of drinking and driving.
“It puts a real life spin on the alcohol problem that many teens deal with and puts a face with the statistic. The event unveils the effects of drinking without the effects actually happening in real life,” Harding said.
The mock DUI is sponsored by the Orange County Fire Rescue Department and comes to Boone every two years. Boone began participating in the mock DUI program in 1998 when the program was first founded. The target audience for the mock DUI is juniors and seniors who will be attending prom on May 1. Attendance was mandatory for all juniors and seniors, but freshman and sophomores were prohibited from attending.
“The Fire Rescue Department tries to have [mock DUI’s] at as many high schools as possible. The whole point of the mock DUI is to understand what would happen with the decision to drink and drive and hopefully deter teens from doing it,” Janibelle Jackson, SAFE coordinator, said.
In the production, Harding dies in a car accident when her date drives drunk. Two other students are injured in the collision. SAFE club members were the actors in the reenactment, with 13 actors and multiple more volunteers who lifted tarps and set up the set.
“We didn’t really practice much for it. It was the firefighters doing most of the work; it was their job to do what they normally do,” Alexandra Beavers, junior, said.
The mock DUI is meant to resonate with the juniors and seniors who plan on drinking on prom night.
“This is an opportunity for us to show everyone the real consequences of drinking and driving,” Ryan Simpson, senior, said.