Gibson Co. students watch mock DUI crash for homecoming week

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - Students in Gibson County got a first hand lesson Friday on the dangers of drinking and driving.

They watched a mock DUI crash.

The demonstration included a 911 call, student actors getting put on a stretcher, and even a student actor getting arrested.

“You could really feel a change in the crowd while they were watching it. It got really quiet and somber when they started seeing the ramifications of ‘wait these guys aren’t getting out of the car,’” said Princeton Police Chief Derek McGraw.

He says it’s to show students the deadly consequences that could come from their choices.

McGraw says the idea was originally brought to him from the fire department.

With it being homecoming week, he says it was perfect timing.

“We can teach them all day long. We can tell them statistics, we can show them pictures, we can show them the slideshows about say no to drugs, don’t drink and drive. We wanted to put it in a real life atmosphere for them to see it today with the kids that they go to school with. If you make a poor decision, some very bad results can happen,” McGraw said.

The problem isn’t just in the Tri-State.

According to a 2022 survey done by AAA, 41 percent of U.S. teens say they’d most likely drink or use drugs on prom night.

Of teens who drink at prom, 54 percent have four or more alcoholic drinks.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, one in three alcohol-related teen traffic fatalities happened during prom season.

“A five minute decision that you make could cost a lot of people a long time, the rest of their life,” McGraw said.

McGraw says this is the first time they’ve done the simulation for students in at least a decade, but they hope to continue to do it in the future.

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