According to this injury prevention poster, nationwide, alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes accounted for 17,448 and 15,626 deaths in 2001 and 2002, respectively. The intent of this project was to show the public (all ages) what actually happens following an alcohol-related crash, including police, fire department, emergency services interventions, and media coverage of the crash. The purpose of the crash simulation was to raise awareness about drinking and driving to decrease mortality rates. Advertisements promoting the event were placed on television, radio, newspapers, and the Internet. A public parking lot was used as the crash scene. A severely damaged vehicle was donated by a local recker company. The scenario was that this car had crashed on the way home from prom night and that the driver had been drinking and driving. The crash "victims" were played by an ENA member's son and his friend. After the simulation, bystanders (target audience) were interviewed by television news reporters to assess their reaction to the consequences of drinking and driving. While bystanders did not fill out program evaluations, those interviewed stated that they would not drink and drive (100%). Actual family members that were interviewed were overwhelmed with sadness at seeing their loved ones in body bags. Although the target audience was all ages, this was not accomplished when the program was presented to the public because many people would stop for a moment but did not stay to view the entire program. Recently, the simulation was presented to high school students before prom night. Afterwards, school representatives reported that neither car accidents nor drinking and driving charges had occurred with their students on prom night. Although not proving that the simulation is completely responsible for this positive outcome, it seems that captive audiences are the better choice. Numerous schools have since requested the program be given before prom to their students as well. It has since been decided to switch the target audience from the public to such captive audiences. Alcohol awareness is relevant to all injury prevention providers. Early and continuous advertising is important to high program attendance; however, a captive audience aids in assuring that the audience views the crash simulation from beginning to end, thus gaining the full effect. Because the simulation is very graphic, parental consent should be obtained before allowing minors to attend.
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