Palm Beach Central, Wellington and Royal Palm Beach high schools, in coordination with various community organizations, are participating in Shattered Dreams, a dramatization of the impact of distracted driving and the effects that it can bring into anyone’s life.
The presentation of Shattered Dreams portrays the risk of engaging into other activities while driving. The event portrays a prom night accident scene, where one of the most memorable nights of anyone’s life can turn into a life-changing experience. Drama students play the accident victims on the football field to increase awareness about the effects that texting, substance consumption and other factors can have while driving.
In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, and an additional 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver. The idea is to show young drivers the consequences, as close to real life as possible, of what can happen when you don’t focus when driving. “This program is presented annually to the senior class just before prom to remind our students to drive safely,” Student Activities Director Donna Baxter said. “Today’s decisions can have a lifelong impact. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who are distracted so we hope to increase awareness with this program.”
David Summers, injury prevention coordinator at St. Mary’s Medical Center, works with the schools to bring the police, fire and Trauma Hawk services to the scene. In addition, Panther Towing, Bella Mia Premier Events Photography and the Dori Slosberg Foundation play an integral part in the organization of these events.
The next Shattered Dreams will take place at RPBHS on April 26. For more information, contact Baxter at (561) 433-7929 or donna.baxter@palmbeachschools.org.
Above: Shattered Dreams shows the consequences of distracted driving.
