PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
According to data from the Colorado State Patrol,
teenage drivers ages 14 to 19 were responsible for 59 of 427 fatal motor
vehicle crashes statewide in 1999. Of this alarming total, 19 percent
resulted from impaired driving, and 75 percent of the teens who died
were not wearing a seat belt. The City of Steamboat Springs has also
experienced an increase in alcohol-related teen crashes during recent
years, particularly associated with the end of the school year.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In an effort to reduce the number of alcohol-related
traffic crash fatalities among Steamboat Springs teenagers, the Steamboat
Springs Fire Department developed the Sober Prom program in 1999.
Objectives of the program are to:
- Identify problem behaviors in high school
students that contribute to destructive choices
- Modify student behavior by demonstrating the potential consequences
associated with drinking and driving
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
To help reduce the increasing trend among Steamboat
Springs teens to drink and drive, or to ride with someone who has been
drinking, the Steamboat Springs Fire Department collaborated with the
city's Police Department, Sheriff's Office, Coroner and the Colorado
State Patrol to create Sober Prom. This intense two-day program
is presented to Steamboat Springs High School students to assist them
in reflecting on their decisions. The program communicates a strong
message to teens that their individual lives are precious, and that
the community would be adversely effected by their death. The premise
of the Sober Prom program is that youth will modify their behavior
if they are able to observe the ways in which poor decisions can harm
themselves, their families and the entire community.
The Sober Prom program begins with a mock
car crash involving five students, during which fire department personnel
perform a high angle rescue, trying to save the life of one of the victims.
In spite of these efforts, all five students die at the crash scene.
The Steamboat Springs Coroner, ambulance service, Police Department,
Sheriff's Office and the Colorado State Patrol are all present at the
scene of the crash. Friends of the five fatally injured students erect
memorials of remembrance on the high school grounds. The program concludes
with an all-school assembly featuring video footage of the staged crash,
and with the victims' parents reflecting on the loss of their children.
A video has been produced capturing the essence of
the dramatic two-day Sober Prom program presented to students
at Steamboat High School on May 5, 2000. The video documents the efforts
of student participants, parents, volunteers, emergency workers, community
leaders and sponsors. The video and a complete press package is available
for use by any agency wishing to develop a similar program.
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