Crash confronts students
RACQ helps teach teens road safety
SENIOR students have been confronted with a car crash scenario which left one teen dead, another injured and one facing charges over drink driving.
The mock car crash was part of the RACQ’s Docudrama Program at the Toowoomba Anglican College and Preparatory School yesterday. The programs is designed to educate the Year 11 and 12 students who are learner and provisional drivers.
In character as Katie, Johno and Matt, three students played roles in the scenario, where Katie was thrown from the back seat of the car driven by her drunk friend, with her boyfriend in the passenger seat.
Real police, paramedics and funeral directors attended the scene to add extra authenticity as the senior class watched on.
Some students were visibly upset as Katie, played by Jasmine Barui, was loaded into the back of the funeral directors’ vehicle.
“It was very confronting and I think it does have an impact on everyone in the situation,” Year 11 student Claudia Apel said.
“Not just the person who did die. It is also the relationship between Matt and Johno which would be destroyed because he blames him for killing his girlfriend, and also their families as well.”
RACQ education officer Dave Webber said the mock car crash scenes were not designed to shock the students, but to be used as a catalyst for a two-hour discussion talking about the fatal five and preventative and reactive strategies.
“We don’t want them to leave scared, we want them to leave empowered. That they have a say, they have a voice, if they are not feeling safe or comfortable we want them to speak up, we want them to do something,” Mr Webber said.