Each year, more and more people die from drunk driving-related accidents, and other types of preventable auto accidents. Teenagers make up a large amount of those who are killed or injured.
The State of North Carolina has put a new program into place that allows law enforcement personnel to personally interact with students in schools for the purpose of discussing how to avoid an auto accident. The program is called Vehicle Injury Prevention for a Very Important Person , or VIP for a VIP for short. The goal for this program is to help decrease the amount of drunk driving accidents, as well as other auto accidents among students.
Recently, Wilkes Central High School participated in this program. Law enforcement officials were on hand to discuss the consequences of driving while intoxicated. The students’ prom was approaching at the time of the presentation, and they were engaged in a discussion about what to do if a friend attempted to drive while intoxicated.
Additionally, the local Sheriff’s office encouraged students to reach out to them on prom night if they have too much to drink. Officers told the students that they would much rather help them avoid personal injuries or death than see them become drunk drivers and ruin their lives. In fact, the officers let the kids know that if they called 911 because they felt like they were not safe, law enforcement would pick them up immediately.
Drunk driving, texting while driving, and even reaching over to turn up the radio can all have devastating consequences. Although this particular program focuses on teenagers, these issues continue to be a problem among adults as well. Programs such as VIP for a VIP allow police to speak directly to teens as well as adults in an effort to save lives before bad decisions are made.
Source: Wilkes Journal-Patriot, “Bad decisions cost lives,” Jule Hubbard, April 5, 2013