A student was laying on the ground beside a damaged car, as about 200 Concord High School students stood outside of yellow crime scene tape on Thursday.
This scene was not the site of an actual car accident. Instead, it was a way to show students what could happen if they drive and text or operate a motor vehicle after drinking.
This week, state troopers had demonstrations for upperclassmen on the dangers of texting and driving or contacting someone when they are driving, and Liberty Mutual worked with the school to show the car crash scenario the next day.
“Liberty Mutual’s motto is ‘responsibility,’ so we’re out here to promote responsibility and making sure (students are) not texting and driving and not drinking and driving,” said Amanda Self, sales representative for Liberty Mutual Group in Mooresville. “This is the reenactment of a potential crash …We’re making sure students understand the impact of making bad decisions.”
The school also hopes the message will stick as students have been preparing for events like this weekend’s prom, spring break and senior week after graduation.
“We’ve lost so many young people over the years, and we want the message out there to be mindful,” said Principal Carla Black. “It’s the law, and it’s life and death.”
To show what could happen, high school students were made to look like car crash victims with makeup and placed themselves around and inside a damaged vehicle, which was a Raleigh teenager’s car from an accident.
As the reenactment began, the school’s Fire Academy truck was the first to respond, with Chief David Barlow and several students from the program that have had rescue and medical training.
Concord Fire & Life Safety, Cabarrus Emergency Medical Services and Concord Police Department also had vehicles and service people to respond during the reenactment.
They checked the students who were acting as victims, took apart the car to get inside and placed some of the teenagers on stretchers, as two students reacted, in character, to the events.
“It’s kind of scary,” said junior Karin Lord. “I had a close friend who was texting and driving and had her arm shortened because of the (broken) glass (in her accident). I think if that was one of my friends in the situation, it would be hard to get over.”
Senior Jessica Sechler agreed.
“I don’t like seeing people like this,” Sechler said.
Sophomore Trey Irby said the scene seemed more realistic because students portrayed the teenagers at the crash scene.
“It definitely makes me think about decisions other people make,” Irby said. “Texting is something a person shouldn’t do (while driving). A person can’t multitask.”
At the event, Liberty Mutual representatives also had the Oprah’s No Phone Zone Pledge for students and keychains and gold beads for them, if they signed it. By signing the pledge, students agreed to not text and to use only hands-free phone calling while they drive.
Irby said he planned on signing it as a way to be helpful to society, and Sechler said she would sign it, too.
Lord had already signed it.
“(By signing it), you can show people you don’t have to have your phone while you’re driving,” Lord said. “(Teenagers) should respect themselves enough to not text and drive.”
Contact reporter Jessica Groover: 704-789-9152
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