On Wednesday May 23rd, Woodland’s Student Council (WRSC) hosted the Day of Death. The Day of Death is a day intended to warn students about the effects of drinking and driving.
With prom approaching on Friday, members of the WRSC hoped to prevent drinking and driving from being a problem. Across the United States it is estimated that about 3,000 teenagers die in motor vehicle accidents each year due to driving under the influence.
According to drunkdrivinglawyers.com nearly 70% of all teenagers have at some point consumed an alcoholic beverage. For many teens alcohol is easy to obtain. While it is illegal to give alcohol to minors, there are some people who still do.
Aside from the high percentage of teenagers who drink, 18 year olds also have the highest crash rate in the United States. Combining these two dangers could create a lethal situation.
In order to hopefully prevent this from happening to any students at Woodland, the WRSC brought the possible tragedies to reality. Every half hour bells rang and the “Grim Reaper” entered a classroom to take the next victim.
When the student returned their face was painted completely white with one black tear drop, representing that they also killed someone else in the accident. They wore signs that said things such as, “Victim of drunk driving,” and the time that they died. After the student was dead they were no longer able to talk for the rest of the day.
By the end of the day drunk driving had taken the lives of 12 Woodland Students. These victims were lined up in front of the doors at the main exit of the building with blank expressions on their faces, as the other students left.
“I think what student council did was a good idea,” said senior, Emily Matott. “I hope that it will make kids think twice before drinking and driving, not just on prom night, but always.”
