I won’t soon forget what I saw on March 27 when firefighters, paramedics, members of the RCMP, the coroner’s office and local teens all volunteered their time to teach us about the dangers of distracted driving.
Volunteers set up a mock accident outside Elphinstone Secondary School that was extremely realistic with students from the school’s drama program covered in blood, bruises, cuts and gashes. Two of the seven students in the mock accident died, while two were taken away on stretchers and three managed to walk away from the scene.
The demonstration utilized real crash vehicles towed to the site, which added to the authenticity of the crash that was caused, we were told, by a distracted driver.
The teen boy playing the texting driver was believable when police tried to arrest him on scene and he fought back. The actress who played his girlfriend was also in character shouting at police that it “wasn’t his fault,” making for what I thought would be an authentic unfolding of events.
Also authentic was the death and carnage in the other vehicle. The impact of the crash sent the driver of the car through the windshield and onto the hood, where she died, while the passengers all suffered in their seats with varying degrees of injuries. One boy would later die as a result of those injuries after being cut from the car with the Jaws of Life.
To think it all happened because someone decided to check a text is both surprising and horrifying. And lest any of us thought it was an over-dramatization, long-time paramedic Ted Swan showed real photos of distracted driving wrecks during his talk following the demonstration, and they were just as bad if not worse.
To be honest, I was happy I had to leave Swan’s talk early because my stomach was turning and I wasn’t sure I could take any more images or descriptions. I’m sure that was the point.
We were all supposed to be so affronted by the images of avoidable death and destruction that we would vow to never put ourselves in a situation that could end that way. It worked for me, and I’m pretty sure the message hit home for many others.
After covering the event I found myself thinking about all the people who had to take time off work or rearrange schedules to be there for the demonstration, which only took about half an hour to unfold, but must have taken weeks to prepare for.
I’m thankful to live in a community where people are willing to put their plans on hold to participate in events like this that truly make an impact.
I’m also thankful that I was able to be a part of it. It’s one thing to read about the event on the front page this week, but it was another experience entirely to be there.
I won’t soon forget the sound of the Jaws of Life biting at that car or the fear I imagined an injured person would feel at hearing the sound. I also won’t forget the many agonizing minutes it took to access the injured teens who could do nothing but wait for their rescue and the one boy for whom help came too late.
I hope others were affected as deeply as I was by the distracted driving demonstration because I can say with certainty I will leave the phone alone from now on when I’m behind the wheel. I hope you will too.
