Prout students learn important lesson about drunk driving

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WAKEFIELD — Did you know that every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured in car accidents that involve an alcohol-impaired driver? Those numbers are according to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.

On April 16, Prout School sophomores, juniors and seniors will experience the realistic timeline during a mock drill, witnessing an accident scene, the arrest of a driver who fails a sobriety test and watch as one of their “own” is extricated from the crash scene.

The realistic drill starts in the auditorium at 8:30 a.m, where students will have the scene set for them by members of the South Kingstown Police and Fire departments. Later, students will head outside to witness the aftermath of a head-on crash and the emergency response.

“It is increasingly important for schools to provide students with experiences that bring home the consequences of their actions in ways that mere words never can,” said Prout School principal Gary Delneo. “The professional first responders involved in this recreation are doing precisely that. Truly we never know what works with young people to get their attention, so it is essential that we try new methods to drive home the point that tragedy can be just around the corner, but it is equally true that so is the opportunity to think before we act, the opportunity to avert the kind of disaster we see enacted today.”

Prout sophomore Christopher Koretski is spearheading the dramatization along with SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving). Koretski says similar demonstrations at Westerly High School had an impact on friends who had witnessed it so he wanted his fellow Prout students to be exposed to the same valuable lessons.

For more information, call 789-9262.