News

Monday, April 7, 2008

San Marcos High School to Host the California Highway Patrol’s EVERY 15 MINUTES

San Marcos High School has been selected to host the Every 15 Minutes program on April 16-17, 2008. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) developed the two-day program for high school juniors and seniors because every 15 minutes someone dies from an alcohol-related collision. During the program, students are challenged to consider their drinking, driving, and safety decisions and how the decisions affect their friends and family.

According to the CHP website:

“The program brings together a broad coalition of interested local agencies with the goal of reducing alcohol-related incidents among youth. The partnering of the California Highway Patrol, local law enforcement, local hospitals, emergency medical responders, schools, businesses, and service clubs validates the importance of working together to ensure a healthy community.

“The two-day Every 15 Minutes program is very dramatic and emotional-and purposely so. Teenagers are constantly reminded about the choices they have to make involving alcohol and how many others are affected by their decisions. They know the intellectual statistics. However, many teens share the belief it will never happen to them.”

On Wednesday, April 16, a choreographed collision will take place in the C-parking lot at San Marcos High. This simulation will include the death of several students, injuries to others, and the arrest of a student for driving under the influence and felony manslaughter.

Lael Wageneck from Santa Barbara County Education Office will film the collision aftermath and emergency response which will be shown on April 17 at a school assembly.