Every 15 Minutes program shows Yorba Linda High School students the dangers of driving under the influence or distracted

Yorba Linda High School was one of four high schools in Orange County to participate in the Every 15 Minutes program this spring. In partnership with the California Highway Patrol, this two-day event challenges high school juniors and seniors to think about drinking, driving, personal safety, the responsibility of making mature decisions, and the impact their decisions have on family, friends, their community, and many others.

Twenty Yorba Linda High School students and two teachers were participants referred to as the “living dead” and were able to experience the unfortunate reality of drunk driving consequences. During the school day every 15 minutes, the public address system would play the sound of a car crash and the toll of a bell to represent a life being taken. In the classroom, a student would be pulled from class while their obituary was read to their peers.

The Every 15 Minutes program included a staged car crash where four students played the role of a dead-on-arrival victim, dead at the hospital victim, a paralyzed victim, and a drunk driver. Yorba Linda High School junior and senior students viewed the process of a 911 dispatch call, first responders arriving at the scene, a sobriety test and arrest, as well as a removal of a body and the following day at Yorba Linda High School, the junior and senior students attended an assembly to remember the living dead. 

The living dead attended a DUI mock trial at the Santa Ana Superior courts and watched as their classmate received a sentence of 41 years. They then traveled to the Fairhaven Mortuary to learn about the realities of making funeral arrangements and reserving a final resting place for a victim. Finally, they stayed overnight in a hotel and heard personal stories of people who had been affected by DUI-related car accidents including the discussion leader, Fire Captain Marty Driscoll.

Perhaps one of the most heartbreaking moments of the funeral assembly was when students saw the courtroom footage of our PTSA president, Jen Johnson read a victim statement on behalf of her daughter who was a victim in the crash scene. She said, “One of Clare’s favorite quotes was ‘The darkest nights produce the brightest stars.’ Unfortunately, Clare will no longer be a shining star on earth due to the wrong choice someone else made to drive under the influence of alcohol. While Clare is no longer physically with us, the memory of her life will shine on in our hearts forever.”

Meghan Harney, the Activities Director at Yorba Linda High School who helped organize the event said, “I am overwhelmed with the support of the greater Yorba Linda community to put on Every 15 Minutes. I have been so lucky to work with people who are passionate about bringing this important message about being a safe driver to the students and families at Yorba Linda High School. I feel that together we made a profound impact to positively change lives.”