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ROY — Students at Roy High School had another lesson to add to their normal run of reading, writing and arithmetic Friday; they were shown just what can happen if they choose to text and drive.
The football field was a frightening sight as a large-scale mock disaster demonstration got underway. The scene: a two-car head-on collision with eight people involved because one of the drivers sent a text message. One was ejected through the windshield and didn’t make it.
The scars on the victims were not real and neither was the blood. But there was emotion behind the demonstration to show students just how much responsibility they take on when getting behind the wheel.
Like Vanessa Reese, many of these students have a story. And those stories are real.
"They were just driving like normal and she decided to look at her phone, and the truck hit the side of them and her passenger died,” Reese said of an acquaintance.
Others shared their stories:
I had family member that got into a pretty bad car accident earlier this year. I'm really hoping this gets through to the students.
–Marcus Gorman, Roy High School senior
“I had family member that got into a pretty bad car accident earlier this year,” said Marcus Gorman, a senior a Roy High School. “I’m really hoping this gets through to the students."
Friday, Gorman played the role of a person that died because of texting and driving.
The live demonstration included police, fire, EMS and AirMed members.
“It takes just one second, whether you're texting or looking at an image,” Roy Fire Chief Jason Poulson said. “We just want them to not be distracted and not text and drive.”
An estimated 421,000 crashes in the U.S were related to distracted driving in 2012, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 3,300 of those crashes were fatal.
In Utah, 11 people died in 2013 due to distracted driving, according to the Zero Fatalities website.
Students are determined to reduce the number of crashes caused by distracted driving.
“Watch where you're going so you don't cause something like this and ruin families or ruin your own family by losing your own life,” Reese said.
Contributing: Viviane Vo-Duc
