Roswell police and firefighters staged a mock drunk driving crash for high school students, KOB 4 reported.
The fake crash scene depicted pedestrians struck by an oncoming vehicle that was driven by a drunk driver. The display used actors, fake blood, fake glass, and real vehicles and sirens.
"The core message of this program is saving lives," Diane Taylor, Chaves County prevention specialist, told KOB 4. "Let’s make a difference. We lose too many young people due to drugs, alcohol, and cellphones while driving."
The purpose of the demonstration was to show young people the damage that drunk and impaired driving can cause and to bring attention to the fact that impaired driving can destroy lives, according to KOB 4.
The demonstration is put on annually by the nonprofit organization Every 15 Minutes. The group's mission is to spread awareness that impaired driving causes an automobile-related death every 15 minutes, according to its website.
School and city officials hope the demonstration showed students the tragic reality that can occur as a consequence of impaired driving, KOB 4 said.
"Life's lessons are best learned through experience," Every 15 Minutes said on its website. "Unfortunately, when the target audience is teens and the topic is drinking and texting while driving, experience is not the teacher of choice."
Every 15 Minutes' program offers real-life experience without the real-life risks, according to the group's website. "This powerful program will challenge students to think about drinking, texting while driving, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions when lives are involved," the website said.