OLYMPIC HIGH SCHOOL The aftermath of a gruesome drunk driving wreck is projected onto the wall of a classroom, images of a blood-stained Ocean Avenue and the remains of a young man draw gasps from the audience.
Many of the Olympic High School students sitting through a PowerPoint presentation on the dangers of drinking and driving avert their eyes from the crash scene, one that occurred years ago, involving two life-long friends who had made a fatal mistake — leaving a party drunk and getting behind the wheel of a car.
“OK, that’s enough,” said one uneasy female student, echoing the sentiments of several of her peers.
In a time when the Paris Hiltons and Lindsay Lohans of the celebrity world are constantly running into the law for driving under the influence, the students at Olympic High School were served with a harsh reminder on Wednesday that a DUI is definitely not “h-o-t.”
For nearly three hours, the students here closed their textbooks and put away their pens for a lesson on real life, courtesy of the Santa Monica Police Department.
“I hope this makes them conscious of the dangers of drunk driving,” said Marcia Gecht, a criminal justice teacher at Olympic High School.
In the state of California, nearly all traffic collisions are caused by human error, according to Detective Chris Dawson, a traffic investigator with the Santa Monica Police Department.
Los Angeles County has the highest fatality rate for both alcohol and nonalcohol related traffic collisions.
Through a series of presentations and activities, traffic safety officers taught the importance of driving safely, showing the students first hand how intoxication can impair their judgment.
“It’s an attempt by us to get their attention any way we can,” said SMPD’s Sgt. Larry Horn.“It’s another spoke in the wheel of us to get the (kids) to pay attention.”
It all started with a PowerPoint presentation led by Dawson explaining California’s driving law as it pertains to alcohol usage, reminding students that if they take a breathalyzer test that registers even an alcohol content of.001, their license will be taken away until they turn 21.
A slide show of photos from deadly and near fatal traffic collisions in Santa Monica from the past few decades followed, students gasping and shutting their eyes as some of the shots were graphic in nature. The last series of photos were taken from a fatal motorcycle versus car accident last week at Fourth Street and Colorado Avenue.
A man allegedly stole a motorcycle in the early morning hours of May 31, ran through several red lights before crashing into a Volkswagen Touareg driven by a college student, Dawson said.
“He died so fast he didn’t bleed,” Dawson said of the motorcyclist.
Outside the classroom, another set of students wearing impairment goggles, simulating the vision for an intoxicated individual, tried the “walk and turn” test, one of the several tests officers issue when pulling over a suspected drunken driver.
Giggling, the students attempted to walk in a straight line, some clearly disoriented as they almost fell over or walked into the path of another student. The same goggles were used in a driving test in the parking lot of Olympic High School where officers had set up a small course on the basketball court.
The students first undertook the course sans goggles, most able to maneuver the tight course without driving over the cones. It was a much different story when the drunk goggles were on, some students driving over nearly every cone, one slightly missing a pole at the end of the basketball court.
In a trailer parked on Lincoln Boulevard, another set of students took a similar driving simulation test on the computer, while another set of their peers sat in the back of the truck, watching a video titled “Every 15 Minutes,” documenting a school-wide project on drunk driving at Saint Monica Catholic High School.
The reception to the DUI demonstration was mixed. Some students seemed to be affected, surprised by what they learned. Others seemed to take the information a little bit more nonchalantly. One student came to school wearing a T-shirt that stated if one wanted to take a breath-alyzer test, they should “blow here,” with an arrow pointing to his nether regions.
Jennifer Garcia, a senior at Olympic High School, grew up hearing about the dangers of drinking and driving from her parents. An uncle was involved in a nonfatal drunken driving accident a few years ago, Garcia said, recalling the crying she heard as she sat in the hospital waiting room.
For Garcia, driving around with the impairment goggles on was a real eye opener.
“I think it’s important for teenagers to see this,” Garcia said after the conclusion of her participation in the activities. “It’s good for us to be aware.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 7, 2007. Read the original PDF.