For around 20 years, North Hills and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) have been hosting a mock crash for senior students. On Friday, May 3rd, the yearly mock crash will be held in the morning starting at 7:25 AM. The outside portion will begin around 8:35 AM.
The concept of the mock crash is to make students aware of the consequences of drinking and driving. On the high school campus, a simulated car crash involving two cars will be staged. Local EMS and authorities bring two decommissioned cars to campus and set them up to look like a car crash. They destroy the windows of the cars to make it look like an intense accident. SADD sponsor Michelle Medic is tasked with coordinating the event. Mrs. Medic communicates with school administrators, local EMS, local authorities, news stations, and students to make the event run smoothly. In previous years, LifeFlight has been present. They have acted as emergency responders to those who were critically injured in the accident. Unfortunately, this year we cannot have LifeFlight visit the mock crash due to the baseball field being under construction. However, Mrs. Medic and her SADD officers are confident that the event will still be successful in getting the message across to the students.
Student participation is the main reason for the success of the mock crash. There are four high school seniors who will have been “involved” in the crash. One student, Alex Towne, will act as a reckless drunk driver. His job is to pretend to be intoxicated as he is the one who has caused the crash due to alcohol intoxication. The other three individuals will represent one fatality and two critically injured individuals. Gabby Sole, who is the secretary of SADD, will be the passenger in the drunk driver’s vehicle. She will be the fatality of the crash. Her “death” is utilized to highlight the consequences of destructive decisions. Marina Bolinda, the president of SADD, and Zach Kuhn will be the passengers of the other car involved in the accident. They will be “critically injured” in the accident. The emergency responders present will take Marina and Zach out by ambulance as if it was a real car accident. Alex will go through standard sobriety testing by a police officer. He will be arrested as if he was a drunk driver. In addition, Mrs. Foster will act as a hysterically upset mother who just lost her daughter in the “accident.” Using North Hills high school seniors makes it feel more personal to the other students. They know the people involved in the scene. It makes it more gut-wrenching. The point of the mock crash is to steer students away from drinking and driving.
In addition to the mock crash, SADD also runs a program called Every 15 Minutes. The concept of Every 15 Minutes is to represent a teenage life lost every 15 minutes due to alcohol. These deaths are not just from drunk driving accidents but all teenage deaths caused by alcohol. On Friday, May 3, students wearing black t-shirts representing drunk driving statistics will represent the high casualty rate during this time of year and will refrain from speaking for the entire school day. Graduation and prom season causes a significant spike in alcohol related deaths for teenagers. This time of year almost doubles the death rate. SADD Club secretary Gabby Sole will be the first casualty of the day, with 12 more following behind her by the time third period starts. These black shirts are a statement. They are a visual representation of the consequences of destructive decisions. It shows how quickly a life around us can be lost due to alcohol or other substances.
North Hills is one of the very few schools in Western Pennsylvania to host such an event. The administration finds it important to spread awareness of the dangers of underage drinking. It is an exciting time of year, but it does not excuse the consequences that come with making destructive decisions. Every life is valuable, and your life is not worth taking the risk. So on May 3rd and every day, please be aware of the serious concept that surrounds the mock crash and Every 15 Minute program.
*Disclaimer: the pictures featured in the post are from the previous 2023 Mock Crash.
