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Landstown High students experience dangers of driving under influence during mock DUI crash

Posted at 9:56 AM, May 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-03 09:56:49-04

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Landstown High School students are seeing the dangers of driving under the influence at a mock crash scene staged on school grounds.

The award wining anti-drinking and driving awareness program “Every 15 Minutes” is an interactive program involving middle school and high school students and their parents.

On Thursday, 15 preselected students were removed from class by the “Grim Reaper” Thursday morning. Police officers read the students’ obituaries written by their parents to the participants’ classes.

A mock crash scene is staged on school grounds where students will see injuries and the death of a student as the scene is investigated. The driver, who is suspected of DUI and texting, will go through the actual sobriety testing and arrest procedures and a funeral hearse will transport the body of a deceased student to the morgue.  The students go on an overnight field trip visiting a hospital trauma unit, a mock court DUI trial, the city jail, have dinner and listen to a speaker, and go to their hotel rooms where they write a final letter to their parents.

On Friday, students will attend an assembly and watch a video of the mock crash, the visit to the morgue and trauma center and DUI trial. The letters the students write to their parents will be read.

This program will be the result of months of coordination by the VBPD Community Engagement Unit involving the Police and Fire Departments, Emergency Medical Services, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia Beach Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Virginia Beach Juvenile Court, Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, Sentara-Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance, Smith and Williams Funeral Home, Dale Old Wrecker Service, and the Oceanfront Inn. Primary sponsors of the program are GEICO Insurance, AAA Tidewater and Creeds Ruritan Club.