As someone with no intention to drive, I was not thrilled about the prospect of a day spent learning of the dangers of behaving irresponsibly behind a wheel- I was, however, somewhat excited about having half a day off of school. On Monday 28th January, Year 12 was taken to Greenwich theatre to attend an afternoon on the dangers of drink driving, and other risks young drivers pose (to themselves, and everyone else on the roads).
The session was started by a friendly competition between some of the schools attending which, despite my paralysing fear of audience participation, was very effective in lightening the mood in the room, and getting the attention of the audience. This was followed by a rather intense video re-enactment of a horrific car crash caused by drink driving. This video was punctuated by anecdotes, delivered by special guests, of their own experiences of teen car crashes. These were very poignant, and hard hitting, and if the video wasn't enough to make everyone in the room think seriously about the dangers of being distracted behind the wheel, the guest speakers definitely were.
There were stories from a fireman, policeman and paramedic who had all had atrocious experiences with the aftermaths of drink-driving, and even a guest who himself had been critically injured, and disabled, through the poor decision of getting into a car with a friend who was not in a fit state to drive. But perhaps most moving was the recount of a mother who had lost her teenage son in a car accident. Nothing is more heart-breaking than a grieving mother, asking you to put yourself in her shoes, and prevent any of the mothers of people in that room from having to go through what she did. I may not have been that eager to drive, but even for me it taught me a valuable lesson. Safe Drive, Stay Alive.
