According to MADD, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of teen death, and one in three of these fatalities is related to alcohol. In this two-part series the behaviors leading to drunk driving, and the consequences of engaging in this dangerous activity, are explored in a language that teens understand. The series features a powerful dramatization, compelling personal testimonies, and commentary from a psychiatrist on the workings of the adolescent brain. Designed to spark classroom discussion, the programs emphasize the role of conscious choice on the part of young people in social situations. *Viewer discretion is advised
Two 20-minute programs also available separately:
PEER PRESSURE AND CHOOSING TO DRINK Think About It
David and Julie are excited but nervous about their invitation to a party hosted by "the cool kids". Sharing his thought process with viewers, David describes an elevated heart rate and feelings of being a social outcast, laughed at because he and Julie don’t drink. David allows a subtle form of peer pressure to take control, with tragic results. In this dramatization the potential consequences of choosing to drive while intoxicated are played out. In a separate segment, a psychiatrist explains how the adolescent brain manages emotions and decision-making in a social context, differences between how boys and girls express this, and the importance of good role models for teens.
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DRIVING AND CHOOSING TO DRINK: Think About it
In this powerful program people whose lives were affected dramatically by drunk driving tell their stories. Relying on a mechanized communication device, a former athlete recounts the joyride that caused his traumatic brain injury, while another describes the lasting psychological problems that followed his physical injuries. An inmate serving time for DUI manslaughter after downing "a few beers and a few shots" recalls facing the mother of the person he killed, and a first responder gives details of a fatal collision involving an intoxicated driver and her children. Supplemented by information from MADD, the video stresses that drunk driving is a choice that students can decide not to make.
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