Release Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 4 p.m.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Harvey L. Bryant addressed students at the Virginia Beach Police Department’s “Every 15 Minutes” anti-drinking and driving program held at Green Run High School Tuesday and Wednesday, March 9th and 10th.
“Every 15 Minutes” is a two-day role-playing interactive program involving high school juniors and senior students and their parents. The program challenges them to think about drinking, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions. This anti-drinking and driving awareness program is designed to develop within the student an understanding that the decisions they make not only affect themselves, but the entire community.
Over the course of two days the participants attended a mock accident scene, trauma unit, morgue, Virginia Beach Correctional Center and Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, where the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office personnel perform a mock trial.
The program’s name is derived from the fact that every fifteen minutes in the United States at least one person is killed as a result of an alcohol related crash or incident. In the United States, 11,773 people were killed during 2008 as a result of alcohol related traffic accidents alone (National Highway Safety Administration).
“This is an especially poignant time in light of the recent DUI-related death of a Kempsville High School student; it emphasizes the tremendous need for programs like this in our schools,” Bryant said. “This is one of the most effective deterrents to underage drinking and driving I’ve seen. My office fully supports anti-drinking and driving programs,” Bryant said.
The “Every 15 Minutes” program is the result of months of coordinated effort by the VBPD Crime Prevention Unit involving the Police and Fire Departments, Emergency Medical Services, Virginia Beach Public Schools, Virginia Beach Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, Kellum-Smith and Williams Funeral Home, OceanFront Inn, and Geico Insurance.
Please contact Julie Pickell if additional information is desired.
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