The “Every 15 Minutes” program returned to La Cañada High School with an urgent message to students: Every 15 minutes in the United States there is a traffic accident involving driving while intoxicated on alcohol or drugs.
“It’s about bringing awareness around drunk driving [and] driving impaired. Obviously, nowadays, there’s a little more involved when it comes to being impaired or being intoxicated while driving. So, it’s an educational program that we want to share with our students in hopes to bring awareness,” said Assistant Principal Adam Almeida, who was in charge of the two-day event, March 23-24.
Almeida told the Outlook Valley Sun that the event is usually every two years but due to COVID restrictions, the program was forced to take a five-year gap. The program itself has been presented to LCHS students since about 2000, Principal James Cartnal said.
“I believe the Every 15 Minutes presentation is one method of instructing students on the dangers of driving drunk. … I think if one asks what the most effective method of instruction is that would be related to parents, families and caregivers addressing this continually and stressing that all people should not drive drunk,” said Cartnal.
Students in the 11th- and 12th-grade attended the mandatory event that was held outside in front of the high school. City officials and parents were also in attendance.
The California Highway Patrol, the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station and Los Angeles County Fire Station 82 were also in attendance.
As soon as students were seated, the LCHS staff reenacted a scene in which two cars were totaled with students acting as if they were just in an accident. The crowd was silent. Police cars came from one end of the street and the fire department came from the other. As they approached the two cars, the first responders took the steps necessary in such a situation: assess the scene and seek out those with injuries.
“This is a violent, horrifying and somber scene in front of our school with our students. And you’ll note as you go back to walk the halls today and go about your classes, that the staff members are wearing shirts that say ‘choices matter.’ That is an absolute and intentional theme of this reenactment of this demonstration, because your choices matter. You matter. And when you are considering driving with your friends and loved ones, you must make the right choice,” Cartnal told students.
The students who were involved, spent the whole day going through the motions of the aftermath of the accident, like visiting the courthouse and going to the hospital. Parents were also part of the video that would be shown the following day to juniors and seniors.
The following day, a mock memorial of those killed in the accident was held, Almeida said.
At the assembly, about 700 students who make up the junior and senior class, were shown a video that depicted the before, middle and end of what a drunk driving collision might look like.
Next, the school choir performed near an empty coffin that signified the “death” of the students who were killed in the “accident.” Outside, easels displayed photos of the “deceased” students.
As students prepare for prom and graduation, Cartnal emphasized the importance of this learning experience.
“Every 15 minutes, if you’re wondering, is the approximate time interval of a person who dies from an alcohol or drug-impaired or distracted driving collision in the United States. Like all learning, there are specific learning goals we hope to engage in with today, related to yesterday’s reenactment and today’s topic,” said Cartnal.
The learning goals included “choices matter” and “you matter,” he said.
As the video played, students and parents cried quietly. This continued as speaker Lili Truijillo Puckett spoke to students about her daughter, who died in an alcohol-related accident about 10 years ago.
She is the founder of Street Racing Kills, a youth traffic safety organization.
Puckett recounted the memories of her daughter, Valentina d’Alessandro, who was just 16 when she died.
The last time she saw d’Alessandro, she was on her way to a party. After, she got a ride from someone who had been drinking. Puckett received a call from her daughter’s phone and heard her best friend screaming for Puckett to come to the scene of the crash.
Later, police were at her house and confirmed that her daughter had died at the scene.
“I just knew that I didn’t have my daughter with me. And I just knew that I was going to wake up [and she wouldn’t be] next to me because we slept in the same bed,” said Puckett. “It was a pain that I have never ever felt before.”
Her daughter died in December 2013. On March 31 she would have been 26 years old.
“It’s still hard. It’s still difficult. I don’t want to admit that she is gone,” said Puckett.
After Puckett finished speaking, Cartnal thanked everyone who made the two-day event happen.
“You can do things to avoid this. That’s the good news,” said Cartnal. “You have the power. You can help keep your community and keep yourself and those you care about safe by making good choices. … That scene outside yesterday is avoidable.”
The Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station posted on their social media platform ways young people can prevent drug- and alcohol-related accidents.
“When you do attend an event, please designate a sober driver. If you have been drinking, there are numerous other options to get you home safely. Call a friend, call a taxi, or use a ride-share service. All these options may save a life, including your own,” the sheriff’s station posted on Facebook.
The event was funded by the California Highway Patrol, an anonymous donation and the city of La Cañada Flintridge, Almeida said.
With funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety, CHP provides mini-grants to schools and organizations wanting to implement the Every 15 Minutes program. Applications are accepted each school year beginning in October.
For more information, visit chp.ca.gov/programs-services/programs/youth-programs/every-15-minutes.
First published in the March 30 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
