'Every 15 Minutes' Is Time Enough For Youth To Make Poor Decision

SAN JOSE, CA -- Drinking and driving is not kid's play. That's the message the California Highway Patrol, in partnership with William C. Overfelt High School and local agencies, wants to get across to teens in implementing the national "Every 15 Minutes" program through Wednesday.

"Every 15 Minutes" is a two-day program focusing on high school students, which challenges them to know the consequences behind drinking and driving and how that impacts the personal safety of themselves and their friends. On the flip side, the cutting-edge program shows how the responsibility of making mature decisions makes life go a lot smoother for family members as well.

Wednesday's activities features a mock funeral staged from 10:30 a.m. to noon as a follow up to Tuesday's horrific, deadly crash scene. The funeral will be held in the school assembly of the high school is located on Cunningham Ave. in San Jose.

CHP has taken part in the program for at least 20 years. The event wraps up with a retreat between law enforcement and the 23 major role players within the student body. Other high school students are invited to attend the primary activities.

"The standard reactions from the kids is they all know it's fake so they start out not taking it seriously. We try to make it as seriously as possible, and we see a change in the students. They're laughing and snickering changes with the reality of a major collision," CHP San Jose spokesman Ross Lee told Patch.

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