Keystone Oaks to host Mock Crash Wednesday, April 26
A 2014 AAA survey found that 41 percent of teens ages 16 to 19 said it was likely that they or their friends would use drugs or alcohol on prom night. A 2013 study, published by Liberty Mutual, found that 54 percent of teens who admitted to drinking during or after the prom said they consumed four or more alcoholic beverages. With motor vehicle accidents being the number one cause of death for young people ages 12 to 19, and one-third of those accidents occurring between April and June, Keystone Oaks’ Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Club is taking a proactive approach and hosting an assembly and mock car crash that will demonstrate the dangers of distracted driving.
As part of the Prom Promise initiative, juniors and seniors from Keystone Oaks & Seton-La Salle High Schools will attend the assembly and demonstration on Wednesday, April 26. The assembly, which will be led by the Mt. Lebanon Police Department, will be followed by a simulated car crash in a parking lot on Keystone Oaks’ campus. A small group of KO students will act as victims and various local police departments, fire and EMS services, as well as LifeFlight and the Allegheny County Medical Examiner will be on hand for the full-scale crash and response simulation.
This crash itself will start out with a pair of mangled vehicles and a third vehicle pulling up to see their classmates involved in a horrendous crash. The driver and occupant of the third vehicle will call 9-1-1 and initiate a Public Safety response. The students will experience firsthand a classmate undergoing a field sobriety test by the police, a classmate being pronounced dead and placed into a body bag by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner, a parent being told of their child's demise, multiple classmates being cut out of the mangled cars by fire department personnel, classmates being treated by EMS personnel, and LifeFlight coming to fly a critically injured classmate from the scene.
The dramatic program is designed to illustrate the dangers of driving under the influence (DUI) through the tragic experiences of others and commentary by emergency responders and safety educators.
Posted: Monday, April 24, 2017