Schools Get Graphic on Safety

Wrecked Cars Remind Teens About Perils of Driving Drunk and Recklessly

It was a bad scene in front of T.C. Williams High School: The front and back windshields of the white Honda Accord were shattered, the hood and roof were crushed, the sides were badly dented.

A group of students stood around the car yesterday, speculating.

"It's scary," said Kortnie Stukes, 17. "Like, did this person even survive?"

"Hold on," said Sarah Boyd, 16, pointing at a stain on the air bag, which hung limply off the steering wheel. "I see blood marks."

"Hey, hey," said Adria Attidore, 16. "Is this for real?"

It was. The Honda had been in an actual accident and was part of a campaign that many high schools launch each year before prom night, graduation and summertime to warn students of the dangers of driving drunk or recklessly.

The cars usually are provided by towing or insurance companies, and many school principals say they provide a visceral deterrent in a dangerous season.

"More young people lose their lives during prom and graduation season than any other time of year," said Theo L. Cramer, principal of Laurel High School in Prince George's County. This spring, Cramer's school displayed a destroyed pickup truck in which the occupants had been killed. "It really helps to drive the point home to students," he said.

The cars are part of larger campaigns against unsafe driving that include films, lectures and other props. Often students have friends or acquaintances who have been in accidents, and survivors sometimes speak at school assemblies when the wrecks are unveiled.

John Yore, the principal of Sherwood High School in Montgomery County, was nearly killed in January when a drunk driver plowed her car into the car his family was in. Afterward, letters poured in from students expressing concern.

"The fact that I almost died was not a good part of it, but the good part was that it provided me with an opportunity to speak with my students about the consequences of drinking and driving and making bad decisions," Yore said. "The students were more receptive to listening, given my experience." Some asked if the wrecked sedan in front of their school this spring was Yore's, which it wasn't.

Principals whose schools use the cars said they hadn't heard any objections about the graphic nature of the wrecks. If someone were to complain, Cramer said, "I'd much rather explain that program than to have to explain to a parent why we didn't do more." Still, some schools, citing liability and other concerns, do not display wrecked cars.