Docudrama

In cooperation with the Blue Springs School District, an annual docudrama is conducted to provide a visible reminder of why all aspects of driving safety are needed. The event is conducted in the spring, often a time that drivers become complacent about safety as they experience the improving weather and complete the school year.

On May 2, Blue Springs High School was the location for the full day of safe driving events. Included this year were a “Ghost Out” event, a revamped docudrama presentation, and seatbelt enforcement checkpoint.

This is a very exciting time of the year; the students are preparing for prom, final exams, graduation, various awards/scholarship programs, and the senior breakfast. The excitement of the many on-going events produces a small portion of the student body that may engage in destructive behaviors such as speeding, improper seat belt use, or impaired driving.

The full day docudrama event is geared to inform, warn and provide thought-provoking messages to students about engaging in such destructive behaviors. Most importantly, the event serves to reinforce those students who make positive decisions every day.

The day began with the Ghost Out/Every 31 Minutes event, where 31 SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) students were pulled from their first-hour class and given a Ghost Out Day T-shirt, which was donated by the Blue Springs Police Department. Megan Howard, a senior at BSHS, introduced the idea and volunteered to spearhead this part of the day’s events. Megan distributed the T-shirts and the students returned to class. In Megan’s words: “the 31 represents the fact that every 31 minutes a person dies in America due to an alcohol related collision.”

The docudrama was next – a mock fatality accident in front of Blue Springs High School, with the entire junior and senior classes in attendance. This event had multiple components and required the assistance of several different local entities. Wrecked vehicles donated by CARSTAR Collision were arranged on the roadway to simulate an accident aftermath.

Four student actors dressed in formal prom attire were in the wrecked vehicles, with a tarp placed over them. When the audience was seated and the tarps were removed, the actors engaged in their respective roles; drunken driver, dead person, critically injured and innocent bystander.

The call was placed to 911 via the innocent bystander and Blue Springs Police Officer Kate Tipton responded to provide an initial assessment of the situation. Firemen and Paramedics from Central Jackson County Fire Protection responded and began triaging the injured. As Officer Tipton identified the intoxicated driver and performed field sobriety tests, CJC personnel worked to extricate the critically injured person and the “dead” actor.

Marty Meyers from Meyers Funeral Chapel responded to the scene to transport the “fatal” actor. Joe Schur (BSSD school counselor) and Felicia Huff (BSSD school secretary) assumed the role of the parents of the fatally injured girl and they responded. The parent actors were met by Blue Springs Police Department Chaplain Rick Johnson. The parents were escorted to the body and reacted to the event before she was taken away.

LifeFlight was scheduled to come in to pick up the wounded, but in a sobering realization of the seriousness, they were unable to respond due to the fact that they were called to a real emergency patient pick up elsewhere.

Near the end of the docudrama, I was given the opportunity to present information about speeding, driving under the influence, inattention and proper seat belt use; all of which are the leading killers of the age group 16-20 years old.

The last event of the day was a seatbelt checkpoint at the exits of the school (held almost daily at BSHS). As the students leave campus, the occupants were checked for the proper use of seat belts. If properly restrained, the students received care packages/bags that include; key chains and information cards with instructions on “What to do if you’re involved in an accident” donated by CARSTAR Collision and its owner Mike Hobbick.

The event was a great success from the standpoint of making all of us rethink the need for constant vigilance in safe-driving. If you are a parent, please take the time to talk about this event with your student.