Meant to educate them before prom season
OCEAN CITY – With prom approaching, Ocean City High School students are busy finding the perfect attire, making plans with friends, and scheduling barber and beauty appointments. This special night is a time to make lifelong memories, and OCHS administrators are taking extra steps to make sure students have a fun and safe prom.
Of course, staying safe requires making good decisions. As they prepare for the May 16 prom, OCHS juniors and seniors recently took the wheel of a desktop simulator to learn how it feels to drive impaired.
The One Simple Decision computer program challenges students to “drive” through a virtual town as their responses are altered to resemble intoxication. The effects typically cause students to run through stop signs and traffic lights and even cause virtual accidents. The unit also has a distracted driving module that shows students how even a brief glance at their phone while driving can turn deadly.
“We are excited to offer this next-generation driving simulation,” said OCHS Principal Dr. Wendy O’Neal. “It will serve as a cautionary reminder for them to be safe and responsible drivers.”
The simulator sessions are offered through a partnership with the John R. Elliott HERO Campaign, Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office, Ocean City Police Department and NJM Insurance, which provided funding for the simulator.
“At first, students enjoy the fun and challenge of the simulator, until they experience problems and realize that drinking and driving is no joke and can have serious consequences,” said Bill Elliott, founder and chairman of the HERO Campaign, named in memory of his son John, who was killed by a drunken driver after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in July 2000.
The HERO Campaign partners with high schools and colleges, bar and tavern owners, law enforcement, and professional sports teams to promote responsible driving. More than 100,000 motorists have taken the campaign’s online HERO Pledge to be designated drivers. The campaign has also wrapped police cars from 50 departments throughout New Jersey with its blue and gold symbol and message: “Be a HERO. Be a Designated Driver.”
“We are proud and honored to be part of the HERO Campaign’s efforts to save lives by offering this DUI prevention simulator to high school students,” said Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland. “John Elliott would have served his country honorably as a naval officer had he lived. Now his legacy is saving countless lives through the HERO Campaign.”
For more information on the HERO Campaign, go to www.herocampaign.org. To learn more about Ocean City School District, visit www.ocsdnj.org.
– STORY and PHOTOS courtesy of Ocean City School District