Vivid Mock Crash Warns Teen Drivers of Dangers
Talks with parents and peers are important in persuading teens to put down their cellphones when they drive and not to get behind the wheel after an alcoholic drink. But a conversation only goes so far. The shock of seeing a firsthand depiction of the deadly consequences of an accident can have an entirely different impact.
That’s why Riddle Hospital partners with school districts, first responders and the community to stage a mock crash program, demonstrating in grisly detail what an accident involving fellow students looks like.
Students at Penncrest High School and Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills were among those recently shown a “crash”: a mangled car, “victims” inside lying motionless, injured covered in gashes, blood and bruises, and cries for help ringing out.
A call to 911 goes out, and then police arrive, gather information, and perform field sobriety tests on the driver. Fire companies arrive to remove trapped victims and ambulances carry injured students away. When a student is pronounced dead, a mother runs to the scene, wailing over her lost child.
Riddle Hospital, part of Main Line Health, began the program in 2008 in response to a request from a local fire company after multiple student fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. Teen drivers are nearly three times more likely than drivers over age 20 to be involved in a fatal car crash, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Mock Crash Program has been funded in partnership with State Farm Insurance.
“We will never know the true impact of the mock crash but saving or changing one young person’s life is well worth it,” said Joseph Fuhr, Assistant Principal at Penncrest High School.
Riddle Hospital partners with a local theater group and student actors to play the injured, their friends and their parents. Professional makeup artists work to have the actors look like they have real injuries and add “blood” to the scene.
A professional audiovisual company amplifies microphoned actors so the student audience, gathered outdoors for the experience, can hear what’s going on, and a narrator describes the action.
After the mock crash, first responders, police officers and hospital staff give a presentation on safe driving. A patient who survived an accident caused by distracted or intoxicated driving and recovered at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, shares their personal story during the presentation.
“The Mock Crash is a senior class event that we hold each year prior to our senior prom,” said Stephen Brandt, Principal of Garnet Valley High School. “It is a sobering experience for our students, as they have the opportunity to see the impact that destructive decision-making can have on their family, friends, community, and more impactfully, themselves. For us, it’s one final reminder to our young adults to make good, safe decisions during the prom and graduation seasons.”
The program has grown over time and expanded across Main Line Health. Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Lankenau Medical Center also partner with local high schools, according to Deborah Mantegna, System Director of Community Health and Outreach for Main Line Health.