Cal High Student Campaigns to Raise Awareness of DUI Dangers

A phone call on Oct. 20, 2007 changed Ken Williams' life forever.

His daughter, Laurel, a Foothill High School graduate, had been killed in a car wreck when the driver, who had a blood alcohol content three times the legal limit, crashed head-on with another vehicle.

Williams shared his story with the juniors and seniors of in an assembly Friday meant to raise awareness about the dangers of driving under the influence.

Williams, a basketball coach at Cal High, was one of four speakers at the assembly. Clinton Pruette, a San Ramon Valley firefighter-paramedic, , and Student Resource Officer Hollis Tong also shared their stories.

"There's the need to hold some kind of program to teach students about not only the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol, but also driving while under the influence of other substances as well," Tong said.

The assembly was the culmination of an entire week of activities to spread awareness about DUI dangers, organized by senior Cameran Ambler.

Ambler, motivated by the knowledge that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, originally wanted to hold the Every 15 Minutes Program at Ca High, a two-day, emotionally charged program which simulates one student dying every 15 minutes from an auto-related crash.

The school, however, did not have the funding to implement the program, so Ambler took the matter into her own hands.

"We've tried different types of (DUI awareness) programs in the past, but none of them were really effective," she said. "I wanted to do something different that students would take something away from, and being a student, I was able to know what would work."

Ambler worked with Officer Tong and Principal Mark Corti over the last few months to set up several activities for the week.

On Tuesday, a wrecked BMW was put in the quad for students to see the possible results from a crash, and sobriety tests were conducted with drunk goggles for students to see how impaired their senses were when intoxicated.

Roadside memorials were also set up in the grass to represent the lives lost to DUI accidents, and posters were put around campus to give students information about just how many teens are affected from auto-accidents.

Before the Friday assembly, parents had a chance on Thursday night to see and hear the information students would be exposed to, some of which was graphic in nature.

Students were shown two videos, one which showed footage of real DUI-related car crashes and the carnage that followed, and another in which a man spoke about having accidentally killed his friend when he drove while drunk.

Many students felt the heavy-nature of the speeches and videos they witnessed, and the assembly ended abruptly after one student reportedly passed out.

Despite the emotional nature the assembly, the organizers felt the need to make students aware of the possible consequences of their actions.

"There's a lot of people here, and especially in other affluent areas, who think its okay to have a few drinks and still drive. They think its a privilege they have," said Tong. "They don't understand the impact that that kind of reckless decision can cause."

Many students at the assembly, though taken aback by some of the stories and clips, affirmed the importance of warning teens what could occur if they choose to drink and drive.

Ambler hopes her campaign to raise awareness was effective in making a difference, especially at this time of year.

"It's right before spring break and prom and ball, and that's when this kind of information is most important," she said.