Program to Combat Teen Drunk Driving

Oak Hills, California (Our Hesperia) – Over the next few days, Oak Hills High School has been transformed into the site of a dramatic and emotional learning experience as the California Highway Patrol (CHP) brought its impactful Every 15 Minutes program to the campus. Designed to educate high school juniors and seniors about the devastating consequences of impaired driving, this immersive initiative featured a staged DUI-related crash, emergency response demonstrations, and a simulated funeral.

The program began on Thursday, April 3rd, with a realistic recreation of a fatal car accident caused by drunk driving. The collision was staged at 10:00 AM on Coyote Trail behind the school, involving student actors portraying victims and impaired drivers. Emergency responders—including police, firefighters, paramedics, and even a coroner—arrived on the scene as they would in a real-life emergency. Witnessing the chaos of the crash site gave students a visceral understanding of the dangers of reckless decisions behind the wheel. The roadway remained closed for hours to accommodate setup and breakdown of the scene.

Following this intense experience, students participated in an overnight retreat where they heard firsthand accounts from individuals impacted by impaired driving tragedies. On Friday, April 4th, the program will conclude with a mock funeral held during an assembly. This solemn event symbolized the lives lost due to drunk driving and challenged attendees to reflect on how such tragedies affect families, friends, and entire communities.

Collaborative Community Effort

The Every 15 Minutes program is a joint effort between CHP and local community partners, including San Bernardino County Fire Department, Apple Valley Sheriff’s Office, Hesperia Unified School District, G&M Towing, and other organizations. Funding for this initiative was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The program’s name derives from an alarming statistic from the early 1990s: every 15 minutes in the United States, someone died in an alcohol-related traffic collision. While progress has been made in reducing these numbers through legislation and awareness campaigns like Every 15 Minutes, impaired driving remains a significant threat to public safety.

Program Matters

Teenagers often feel invincible, believing that tragedies like drunk driving accidents could never happen to them. The Every 15 Minutes program aims to shatter this misconception by providing students with real-life experiences—without real-life risks—that demonstrate how one poor decision can have irreversible consequences. Through dramatic simulations and emotional storytelling, students are encouraged to think critically about personal safety and their responsibility to make mature choices.

Lasting Impact

The emotional intensity of this two-day event is designed to leave a lasting impression on students. By witnessing firsthand how impaired driving devastates lives, participants are more likely to make responsible decisions that protect themselves and others.

As Oak Hills High School wraps up its participation in this life-saving program, it joins hundreds of schools across California committed to reducing teen DUI incidents and fatalities. Through partnerships between schools, law enforcement agencies, emergency responders, and community organizations, Every 15 Minutes continues its mission of preventing impaired driving tragedies one student at a time and provide the highest level of Safety, Service and Security to the people of California.