T he mock car crashes held each year in the weeks before prom at local high schools are a valuable tool, but they could be even more beneficial at the beginning of the school year .
The crashes are extremely realistic, even gruesome, simulations performed in front of high school students displaying the grave nature of drunk driving and its serious consequences .
Watching a horrific accident followed by a simulated arrest is sure to stick with students, and this is certainly an effective method to curb drunk driving among teenagers.
However, moving this demonstration to earlier in the year may have a more profound effect.
Prom season is already marked by a significant uptick in reminders for students to stay safe and make good decisions regarding alcohol consumption.
It’s that fateful night where every high school kid gets ‘the speech’ from their parents, ensuring that they have their head screwed on right.
Many students even take limousines or party buses to prom, and others get a ride from parents.
This isn’t to say that the mock car crash is overkill — there can never be too much emphasis on teenagers making safe decisions, but it seems to be a poor allocation of resources.
Flooding teens minds with a multitude of safety reminders in the span of a couple of weeks focused on a single night instead of spreading things out and keeping it in their minds throughout the year is a poor approach.
