Shock, awe and sober reflection by the viewing audience was the goal of a sensory-laden drama played out recently at the Johnson High School stadium in Hall County.
Objective achieved.
Prompted by safety advocates within the county's Sheriff's Office, students from the high school's drama club willingly embraced the challenge of portraying to hundreds of their peers sitting in the stands what is truly involved in a severe car crash. Accidents are loud, violent, confusing and often deadly matters that frequently result from speeding, reckless or drunk driving, and the teen actors communicated the possible repercussions of that to the audience.
"Don't let me be dead!" yelled one of them as she lay on the ground in a smoky environment amidst crashed cars, sirens, paramedics and police officers moving about the scene. "I'm only 17."
Viewers admitted to being impressed after first voicing doubts that the function would be anything other than dull and a waste of time. One of them said that viewing the scene gave her a new perspective.
"You see crashes all the time, but you don't know what's going on on the inside," she said. "There are just a lot more consequences than people realize."
Local authorities state that six people died on county roads in motor vehicle crashes in the first three months of 2011. It is hoped that presentations such as the enactment played out at the high school will lower numbers like that.
"It's realistic and accurate," noted one police officer about the student drama. "Your responsible decision can be the difference."
Related Resource: Gainesville Times, "Driving programs aimed at young and old" April 16, 2011
