In 2008 alone, there were 208 fatalities caused by drunk drivers. Twenty-six of those deaths were caused by people under the age of 21.

Three sophomore girls wanted cut that statistic to zero and open students’ eyes to the dangers of drinking and driving. Brittany Gacek, Melissa Mach and Jessica Helm started planning a drunk driving mock crash for their FCCLA project last fall. The girls became interested in this type of project when they started to do more research on what type of project they should do.

“We found that a lot of the stats were mind-blowing,” said Gacek. “We found out that 52% of car crashes were drinking related.”

The team made sure to properly time the crash so that it would have the greatest impact on the students.

“They (the girls) chose to do it around prom and graduation because some people don’t make the best decisions,” said FCCLA adviser Sarah Halverson. “We also make sure to show it every few years, so that a bigger impact.”

The organization and planning of the project was critical to the success.

“There were lots of groups that were volunteering their time, so we had to coordinate around their schedules,” said Halverson. Some of the many groups that were involved included: the police, EMTs, fire department, Highway 54 Towing and many others. Dispatch was also called, so that they were aware that it was just a drill.

The victims of the crash were not just anybody, they were high school students. The students were used to help others see the realities of the situation at hand.

“We felt that by using fellow students, it might have a bigger impact on the people viewing it,” said Mach.