South San Francisco, CA March 20, 2018 Submitted by SSFPD
On March 14, 2018 and March 15 2018, South San Francisco High School in collaboration with the California Office of Transportation Safety, the California Highway Patrol, the South San Francisco Fire Department and the South San Francisco Police Department hosted “Every 15 Minutes” for students at South San Francisco High School. “Every 15 Minutes” was a two-day program that challenged high school juniors and seniors to think about drinking and driving.
The first day consisted of a simulated traffic collision on the school campus that involved eight students from the South San Francisco High School student body. Representatives from the South San Francisco Police Department, South San Francisco Fire Department, and the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office participated in the simulated response. The Fire Department simulated the extrication of one of the passengers and the Police Department conducted a traffic collision/drunk driving investigation. Two of the students portrayed passengers who had been killed as result of the collision and one student portrayed a driver being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
The second day consisted of an assembly for the junior and senior classes. At the assembly, a guest speaker shared her story of how her father was killed by a drunk driver. The 2018 South San Francisco High School “Every 15 Minutes” film was shown to the assembly attendees, as well. The program was a resounding success at South San Francisco High School and was well received by the student body and all who attended.
This program alternates between El Camino High School and South San Francisco High School every year. This program is designed to educate the students about drinking and driving.