How to save a life

    The Save A Life Tour came to AHS on May 6.  The tour aimed to educate students about the dangers of intoxicated driving.  “We do it for one reason and one reason only, to show the dangers of drunk driving,” said tour speaker Chris Jones.

    The tour involved a presentation, a film, an interactive drunk driving simulator, and an anonymous student poll.  The tour began in the morning during R5 Flex and continued until the final bell.

    “During Flex all seniors go down and watch a presentation.  Then classes of 60 go down throughout the day,” explained committee leader Laith Abu-Taleb.  The presentation for seniors involved a short film and music video about real world drunk driving incidents.  
Jones spoke after the film, documenting his fairly average high school and college life, as well as his personal experiences with drunk driving and alcohol, including a story about his friend who was killed by a drunk driver, which inspired him to go on tour. The Save A Life Tour takes place ten months out of the year, traveling to high schools all around the country.  

    Throughout the day some teachers allowed their classes to attend the tour.  During this time students were able to watch and experience a drunk driving simulator, designed to show the effects and dangers of driving drunk.  
The simulator added delays to reaction time while requiring students to drive safely. Students were put in the driver’s seat of a virtual world. For every level they passed, the level of intoxication and reaction delay was increased.

    “The simulator had a valid point to it but it’s nothing like the real thing,” said senior Derick Elmore.  “But it’s going to teach people not to drive drunk in the real situation,” he continued.  He did not believe the tour would in fact reduce the frequency of intoxicated driving.  “In the end,” he said, “Although their intentions are good, high school students aren’t going to learn until it happens to them.”

    “It’s not going to help a lot,” said senior Bryce Holmlune.  “I know the visual helps a lot, but people are still going to do it.”

    Some students disagreed and believed the tour could help out with the problem of drunk driving.  “I think people are going to listen,” said senior Phil Phongsauvan.  “It’s very serious stuff.”

    The tour’s motto is to “save just one life.”  Despite the doubts of many, if the tour affected just one person and persuaded them to intervene when their friend was about to drive drunk, the tour’s visit has been a success.