I sincerely feel that healthy behavior in
adolescents have been going downhill for quite some time. I know that this
decline has started way before the 1990’s but the area that I am most concerned
about has grown since the mid ‘90’s; the increases in media adolescents are
exposed to. I remember reading a post on Facebook from a friend saying her
younger brother who just turned 16 said “I drive extremely well in Grand Theft
Auto while drunk, how hard can it be in real life?”. This is a brand new driver
who thinks that because he has become skilled at driving drunk on a video game
he’ll be just as skilled driving drunk in a real car. I’m not sure about
everyone else, but this kids’ lack of awareness scares me. There are so many
ways to educate kids about the effects of drunk driving, but has this kid been
exposed to them? I talked to my friend about what her younger brother has been
educated on in regards to drinking and driving, and she said none.
One of the ways my high school educated us about
drunk driving is by putting on a program called “Fatal Choices, Shattered
Dreams”. At the start of the morning classes and 15 minute intervals, since
that is how often someone in this country dies in a drunk driving accident, a
crash sounded and then a heartbeat sound came across the intercom followed by
the flat line sound. The grim reaper, police and ambulance attendants enter a
classroom, they touch a student and wheel them out on a gurney covered by a
sheet. Their obituary is read to the class. The student changes into a black
shirt, has their face painted white and becomes the living dead. No interaction
with anyone for the rest of the day. Parents of this student get a call at
work, saying their child has been involved in a drunk driving accident and has
died. The parents know their child is involved in this activity and that it is
not real, but the shock of getting this call still hurts. Each of the “dead”
students has a cross with their name on it in the front yard of the school. I
was able to be one of the students involved in this activity, and I will never
forget how it affected me. Programs like these involve parents, students,
educators, and the community. There was a “drunk driving” scene acted out in
the parking lot, and it’s covered by the local news and radio stations to
educate more than just the students watching and involved.
Programs like these help to educate kids about how
life is after high school. I really think this is a good step in how to get
adolescents to be on track with how to drink responsibly. This is one area in
health that I am really passionate about and was really excited to share.
