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The Pleasanton Police Department is conducting the Every 15 Minutes drunk-driving collision simulation on Del Valle Parkway and Harvest Circle on Thursday to teach high school students the dangers of driving under the influence.
The presentation is part of the two-day program where the Pleasanton Unified School District and PPD join forces to educate juniors and seniors in high school about the serious consequences of driving drunk or under the influence of drugs.
“The Every 15 Minutes program is a two-day program focusing on high school juniors and seniors, which challenges them to think about drinking, driving, personal safety, the responsibility of making mature decisions and the impact their decisions have on family, friends, their community, and many others,” according to the California Highway Patrol website.
This is the 20th year the school district and the police department have presented the anti-DUI program, which gets its name from the frequency at which a person is killed in an alcohol or drug related collision in the United States.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 32 people in the United States die every day in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 45 minutes.
“In 2020, 11,654 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths — a 14% increase from 2019,” according to the administration’s website.
Amador Valley High School students will be participating in this year’s fatal DUI collision simulation where first responders will treat the mock collision as a real-life incident. Students will observe the emergency crews in action and witness the arrest of the intoxicated driver.
According to a press release from PPD, the roadway between Main Street and Harvest Circle will be closed from both directions. Residents from that area will be allowed access to and from their homes but they should also be prepared to hear the loud sounds of sirens as multiple emergency vehicles will be involved in the mock traffic collision.
The collision will be simulated at 11 a.m. on Thursday to the rear of Amador Valley High School and a follow-up assembly will be held in the gymnasium at Amador on Friday. No street closures are involved with the assembly.
According to the press release, PPD will close Del Valle Parkway from 8:30 a.m. until approximately 2 p.m. on Thursday to help facilitate the collision portion of the program.
Funding for the program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
