Date: May 12, 2003
Teens Learn the Realities of a DUI Crash through Live Demo
Miami Beach, FL – In recent years, over a three-year period throughout Florida, there were 4,580 alcohol-related crashes involving underage drinking drivers – 187 of these crashes were fatal. 412 of these crashes occurred in Dade County – 11 were fatal.
The Sixth Annual "Cheat The Reaper - Live To see Your Future" Teen Anti-DUI mock car crash demonstration at Miami Beach Senior High School will be held on Thursday, May 15, at 10:00 a.m., on the basketball courts, located just north in the back, adjacent to the physical education field.
This live, simulated DUI car crash presentation is designed to teach approximately 500 Miami Beach High School seniors about the grave consequences of drinking alcohol and then driving a motor vehicle. Demonstrated just days before the senior prom, this program consists of a mock DUI crash which results in one death and several serious injuries; as realistic as possible. Students from the Trust Group, Interact Club and the Rock Ensemble will be the actors, victims and performers. It begins with a short introduction followed by a party scene whereby alcohol is pretended to be consumed. On their way home, the partygoers are involved in a car crash. Every agency that would be called upon to respond to this type of incident will do what they would normally do. Police will respond and secure the scene, perform the accident investigation, sobriety test and arrest. Fire Rescue will respond to extricate the victims, package them, and transport a short distance away, etc. The Coroner will examine, bag, carry, and load the deceased into a black hearse.
“The impact of what the audience views shows upon their faces. If experience is the best teacher, then the goal is to substitute an actual experience with an educational experience that can be used as a reference for good judgment at the moment when peer pressure may force students to make difficult choices on prom night,” said David Mogen, Miami Beach fire inspector and educator.
“Unofficial reports by our Police Department have indicated that during the last five years there have been no teen arrests or accidents for DUI on prom night in the City of Miami Beach. There is no doubt that one or more lives have been saved since this program has been in place,” continued Mogen.
“Cheat The Reaper” is a community effort, establishing partnerships with businesses and agencies that come together to help get the safety messages to these young drivers.
• Don’t drink alcohol if you are under 21 years of age!
• Just say NO to drugs!
• Don’t drink alcohol or take drugs and then drive a motor vehicle!
• Don’t ride in a motor vehicle if you know or suspect that the driver has been drinking alcohol or taking drugs.
• Friends don’t let friends drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs!
The following agencies come together to deliver these important messages:
• City of Miami Beach
• Miami Beach Fire Rescue
• Miami Beach Police Department
• Miami Beach Senior High School
• Miami-Dade Co. Medical Examiner’s Office
• Riverside-Gordon Memorial Chapels
• Tremont/Beach Towing, Inc.
• Vista Convention Services South
• Miami-Dade County Parks & Recreation
For more information, contact the Miami Beach Fire Department at 305-673-7123.
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Call 305-673-7575/VOICE to request material in accessible format, sign language interpreter (five days in advance), or information on access for persons with disabilities.