'Every 15 Minutes' warns Royal High students about driving drunk
Deadly crash is reenacted; 'victims' treated, 'intoxicated driver' arrested
By Miguel Morales miguel@theacorn.com

Photos by IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers DEADLY SCENE- Simi Valley police and Ventura County firefighters work at the scene of a staged drunk-driving accident as part of the "Every 15 Minutes" program, held Tuesday at Royal High School. Junior Taylor Park (on the hood of the car) plays the role of a critically injured victim.

Juniors and seniors at Royal High School saw firsthand Wednesday the deadly consequences of drunk driving during this year's frighteningly real presentation of the "Every 15 Minutes" program.

As part of the program, students participated in a reenactment of a fatal accident caused by a drunk driver. The crash victims, played by actors, were treated by paramedics from American Medical Response, and the "intoxicated driver" was arrested by Simi Valley police officers and taken away to jail.

"People hear about other people dying in drunkdriving accidents, but you never get to see it firsthand," said Laura Wendt, a senior at Royal who watched the reenactment.

Some students acted as the "walking dead," representing those lost to drunk-driving accidents; they were not allowed to talk or even look at other students throughout the day. They were pulled out of class and, as the Grim Reaper placed a rose on each of their desks, their obituaries were read to their classmates by a member of the police department.

WALKING DEAD- Students representing the lost lives of young people killed in drunk-driving accidents stand together in a long line outside of Royal High. Students who volunteered to play the "deceased" were not allowed to speak to or look at their classmates all day. They had their obituaries read aloud in class as the Grim Reaper placed roses on their empty desks.

"At first (you) go into it thinking I'm just going to get makeup on, but when you actually sit there and watch what they're doing, it kind of hits you," said Trevor Dagarin, a student who played one of the deceased. "This could really happen to any of the students."

This year's participants weren't limited to students: School counselor Sharon Dawson was added to the list of Royal High's walking dead.

"It feels a little surreal being on the participation side," Dawson said. "In all the times we've done this I am very, very impressed with the student body at Royal High School and their reactions to the crash scene."

The Every 15 Minutes theme too frequently hit close to home. Peter Vegos, a junior at Royal, is one of many students who said he'd lost friends to drunk-driving accidents.

"It can happen to any one of us," Vegos said. "I hope this makes a difference to a lot of people, but especially my friends."

The hardest thing is getting through to teenagers in a way that will cause them to make the right choices, Vegos said.

"We hope to save at least one person's life," he said.

Simi Valley's police and fire departments, along with many volunteers from Royal and the community, saw their efforts rewarded after seven months of working on the program.

Harriet Hunsaker, president of the Royal PTSA, has been part of Every 15 Minutes for many years but this was her first year at the helm.

"The main purpose of this program, for me, is for students to understand that when they make the decision to drink and drive, it doesn't just affect them," Hunsaker said. "They see- with this program- how it affects everybody around them."

A lot of the parents become involved because they want to support their kids and make sure they come away with something that will teach them the right way to do things, she said. The students themselves become very emotional and many come away with new friendships they would not otherwise have.

"There has been so much tragedy in Simi in the past four months," Hunsaker said. "If we can just stop one of these kids from making the wrong choice, then every bit of work that we've put into this program is worth it."