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Last updated on Monday, May 11, 2015
(CASS/FULTON CO.) - Recently, the Indiana State Police, Lewis Cass High School, Caston High School, Pioneer High School, along with local first responders teamed up in an effort to prevent student crashes. They conducted DUI/Prom programs at the respective schools.
According to the Center for Disease Control the number one cause of death for young people is car crashes. Nationally, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2011 (most recent data available), 4,347 young drivers (ages 15 to 20) were involved in fatal collisions. Per mile driven, young drivers are three times more likely than older drivers to be involved in fatal crashes. This is often the result of less driving experience, lower seat belt use rates, alcohol use, speeding, and passenger distractions. In 2013, in Indiana, there were 101 fatalities of young drivers.
Impaired driving remains one of America's deadliest problems. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2012, 33,561 people were killed nationally in motor vehicle crashes. That same year, 10,322 people were killed in crashes that involved a driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or higher. That means every 51 minutes someone died in a crash involving an impaired driver. In Indiana, in 2013, there were a total of 193,013 crashes, 4,757 involved an alcohol impaired driver, resulting in 124 deaths.
In 1999, officers from the Indiana State Police Peru Post started conducting an annual DUI/Prom program at Caston High School. The two part program entails a classroom portion and hands on interactive portion. In the classroom students are shown a DUI prevention video. They also hear testimony from police officers on what they have witnessed, in the field, as it relates to crashes involving young drivers. Students are also reminded about the consequences of not wearing seat belts and texting while driving.
The interactive portion includes officers setting up a traffic cone course. The school provides a golf cart and officers provide fatal vision goggles. The students then drive the golf cart, through the cone course, while wearing the fatal vision goggles. This is a fun and interactive way to expose the students to the possible effects of driving while impaired. The students usually hit a lot of cones. The program is conducted during prom season to give students a reminder as they head into summer break.
Approximately five years ago, the program expanded to Pioneer High School. In 2013, Lewis Cass High School invited the Indiana State Police to conduct the annual program at their facility. Most years, Pioneer and Caston have mock crashes. This is usually set up by local first responders. The Samaritan Medical Evac Helicopter usually participates. The Fulton County Sheriff's Department and the Cass County Sheriff's Department have assisted the state police with the various programs throughout the years.
"Young people are our most precious resource," stated Lt. Jeremy Kelly, commander of the Indiana State Police Peru Post. "We are obligated to help them make smart decisions as they grow towards adulthood."
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