The Every 15 Minutes program is a two-day program focusing on high school juniors and seniors, challenging them to think about the consequences of drinking, driving, their personal safety, the responsibility of making mature decisions, and the impact their decisions have on family, friends, and many others. The Every 15 Minutes program was developed to prevent teenage drinking and driving.

On day one (April 17), one student will be removed from class every 15 minutes, and they will become one of the “living dead.” A uniformed officer and a grim reaper will enter the classroom and read each student’s obituary to those remaining in the class. Throughout the day, tombstones will be placed in a mock cemetery on campus. At 10:30 a.m., a simulated drunk driving collision will involve pre-selected students on the football field of Cabrillo High School. Santa Barbara County Fire Department personnel will respond to the collision scene and treat the victims, with one student being declared dead at the scene. The CHP helicopter will land on the football field and airlift the student victim to Marian Hospital with major injuries. One other student, designated as a drunk driver, will be arrested by a California Highway Patrol Officer for driving under the influence and taken to Lompoc Jail.

On day two (April 18), at 10:30 a.m., junior and senior students will attend an assembly in the auditorium where a video of the preceding day’s events will be played, which will include footage of the aftermath of the collision. Students who participated in the program will read excerpts from letters they wrote the night before at a retreat, sharing their feelings with their friends and classmates of what it felt like to die without having the chance to say good-bye. Members of the community and emergency responders will speak and describe how they are personally affected each time they come across someone who has made a poor choice involving alcohol.

It is requested that all media arrive at least 15-30 minutes prior to the aforementioned events.

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