Every 15 Minutes

Last week I was involved in a program at my son’s high school called Every 15 Minutes, based on the fact that every fifteen minutes someone dies of an alcohol related accident. The program, which involves many agencies, is nationwide and has proven to have a remarkable impact on reducing drunk driving in teens who have been exposed to it. Day 1 began with a simulated car crash involving eight students, many who I’ve known since toddlerhood. The CHP, fire department and paramedics were all on board and played their part with haunting realism to 10th, 11th and 12th grade students who sat transfixed in bleachers as events unfolded, from the moment of the “crash” (with mangled cars and participants in place behind screens which parted when the viewing audience was assembled) to the departure of ambulances with the “wounded.” As the “drunk driver” was handcuffed, she looked at two of her friends covered from head to toe, and there was pin drop silence among the crowd of usually rowdy teens. That night I helped lead a retreat for the students involved in the simulation. As I sat there listening to each of the kids share their experiences of the day—watching them simultaneously shaken up and transformed by what they’d gone through, I felt that I was witnessing one of the most extraordinary moments of my life. These kids—and what they said from such a vulnerable and honest place—brought me to my knees. The second day a simulated memorial service was held in the gym for those who had “died”, including the reading of letters from students and their parents who had the experience of peering over the edge of life and death. A film showed the events leading up to the crash—kids celebrating an anticipated team win that night with vodka and OJ on the beach before heading off to school—and we watched each of them as they innocently said goodbye to their parents that morning as they did every other day, believing it would be an ordinary day. Kids in the audience watched their peers express the myriad unspoken feelings towards their parents and friends, and the hopes and dreams for their lives that would not come to fruition.  Even the hardiest of kids was silenced by it all. In the days since the event, I’ve spoken with many kids from the high school, and the feedback has been unanimous; this was a major life experience, both for those who watched, and of course for those who took part and have been talking with their friends about what they went through. To say that those days were powerful for me and the others who put on the event is an understatement. When we met a few days later, we were all still reverberating, honored to have been allowed to walk alongside our kids as their adult selves begins to emerge, and to help even a little as they learn life lessons that might spare them the agony of true loss as the result of someone driving under the influence. I share this with you because I saw firsthand what an exceptional program Every 15 Minutes is, and want to encourage you to look into hosting it at your child’s high school. Teen after teen told us at the retreat how easy it is for them to tune out speakers who drone on at assemblies about drinking and driving. The Every 15 Minutes experience, on the other hand was real; while not truly turning lives inside out the way an authentic accident like this would do, it impacted our kids enormously.   For more info please visit www.every15minutes.com