UIS hosts "Road to Reality" to teach high school students about drunken driving and texting

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Counseling Center is co-sponsoring a “Road to Reality” mock car crash and courtroom trial for students at four local high schools. The goal is to educate students about the consequences of driving drunk and texting, before homecoming.

WHEN: Friday, Sept. 30, 2011 at 11 a.m.

WHERE: The event will start in the University Hall (UHB) lobby on the UIS campus and feature scenes throughout the lower level of the building. The mock crash will take place in front of Lincoln Residence Hall (LRH), on Vachel Lindsay Drive. Scenes will continue inside LRH, before returning to UHB.

DETAILS: Groups of participants will walk through different scenes, highlighting a bad decision to drink or text while driving. The event starts with a party, followed by the mock car crash with EMS first responders rushing into action. Next, family members are shown visiting the deceased, which is followed by a mock trial of the teenage drunk driver.

Students from Gillespie, Sacred Heart-Griffin, Springfield Southeast, and Riverton High Schools are expected to attend, with a number of high school and UIS students serving as actors and volunteers. Danny Hicks, a DUI crash survivor will also speak to the students. Following the event, an information fair featuring insurance and healthcare agencies will take place.

“Road to Reality” is being organized by UIS student Brandon Valerio, a Gillespie High School alumnus. Other participants include Valerie Gebhardt, UIS alcohol & drug prevention coordinator and members of Gillespie High School’s MPACT’D (Miners Preparing And Caring for Teen Driving), as well as local first responders from the UIS Police Department.

This event is also open to all UIS faculty, staff, and students. Members of the general public who wish to attend should contact Brandon Valerio at 217/899-0739 prior to the event.