You may have noticed a lot more news stories in your local papers about high school students being shown dramatic reenactments of drunk driving accidents at their schools. It is certainly a trend, and one that may help young, impressionable teenagers learn that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is dangerous and unacceptable.
These reenactments are an example of pathos, an appeal to someone’s emotions. The reenactments are jarring and intentionally dramatic and painful to sit through. This is to drive home the message: the scenes of DUI accidents are often bloody, serious, and/or fatal. Drunk driving accidents are unacceptable in any form, and if you find your self considering behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated, you should always decide to find a different ride home.
Unfortunately, these reenactments aren’t a definitive safeguard against drunk driving accidents in the future. They make an impression on young students, but impressions can fade over time. Hopefully younger students are learning the lessons these reenactments give them, but there will still be people in the future that make the unfortunate decision to drive a vehicle while drunk or under the influence of drugs.
These accidents, when they happen, often deal people severe, catastrophic or fatal injuries. The injured will have long recovery times, if they recover at all. Their families will suffer great emotional pain and anguish. All of this is tangible, and the victims deserve justice for what they have been through.
Source: Courier Express, “Mock crash teaches students effects of drunk driving,” Elaine Haskins, June 1, 2017
