Saint Paul’s sophomores periodically participate in a program called Sudden Impact, created by the Louisiana State Police at Lakeview Regional Medical Hospital, in order to learn how effortlessly people can get distracted while behind the wheel and the consequences resulting from the same.

Throughout September and October, sophomores across southeastern Louisiana go to various local hospitals to understand the importance of safe driving in the one-day program.

The day at Lakeview consists of sophomores learning about the risks of destructive and distracted driving while in a classroom with a Louisiana State policemen leading the class. After learning about the program, a nurse then brings the sophomores on a tour of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to view firsthand the consequences of impaired driving.

Sudden Impact is sponsored by the Injury Prevention Program. The main purpose of the Injury Prevention Program is to support healthy communities in Louisiana by working to prevent and reduce injuries and violence across the state.

According to the Louisiana State Police, at least 57 percent of crashes that involve teens are because of alcohol and being distracted.

The effects that alcohol and drugs cause can obviously be very dangerous, but being distracted by cell phones is what leads to many road-related tragedies.

Tracy Lemaire, Sudden Impact State Coordinator, leaves a very important impact on the students who she encounters. “You wake up every day, and you read in the paper or you hear in the news that somebody’s been involved in a crash and didn’t survive, and you always know it can happen to you.”

Parishes that have two-lane highways have a higher risk of head on collisions than parishes with four-lane highways with a median in between, per the Louisiana State Police.

The Louisiana State Police in Covington (Troop L) state that there are more fatalities in car crashes on the Northshore because of there being two vehicles going in opposite directions and then colliding with each other. This helps students understand to be extra cautious on those particular roads.

Saint Paul’s senior religion teacher Aaron Falkenstein attended the Sudden Impact program last year three times with each of his sophomore classes. “The Sudden Impact program is an incredibly powerful experience for the Saint Paul’s sophomores,” Falkenstein stated. “The students are exposed to the reality of what can occur when driving under the influence. Louisiana State Police and trauma personnel show what occurs when someone is intoxicated and experiences a motor vehicle crash.”

Luckily, Louisiana State Police Troop B (Kenner) has only been called to very minimum crash scenes that result in fatalities. However, 6/10 fatal crashes that involve teens are because of distractions while driving.

Alcohol consumption is one of several factors that can distract drivers. Driving with alcohol in your system can reduce the ability to judge distance, speed, and the movement of other cars on the road. Impaired vision and reaction time are two of the most common skills affected while driving with alcohol in one’s bloodstream.

No one ever plans on crashing while driving, and no one ever plans on harming someone (or themselves) when drinking and driving or texting and driving. Yet, unfortunately, it happens every day.

The goal of Sudden Impact is to change that in the future.