Video: “Stop the Knock” Event in Booneville Teaches Students the Dangers of Driving

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BOONEVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)-In 4 years, the length of High School, there were nearly 10 thousand deaths involving 16 to 17 year olds. That’s why first responders throughout the county are teaming up to inform high school students of the dangers while driving. WCBI’s Heather Black shows us the impact of how one wrong decision can affect others around you.

First responders in every community are known as local heroes. They are first on the scene of a fire or a car wreck putting their lives at risk by saving others. Unfortunately sometimes they are not able to save every life; which forces them to make a house call to inform family members of their loss.

Prentiss County’s first responders want to prevent that knock on the door. It all begins with the 2nd annual Stop the Knock event with guest speakers and a real life mock car crash.

“Try to portray it as real as possible where there are actual teenage victims around prom time where there is alcohol involved no seat belt involved. We want to try to just paint a small picture of what we go through as law enforcement officers when we arrive on the scene,” says Ray Hall.

Drivers between the ages of 16-24 years old have the lowest seat belt use. Kristie Jumper, gave her son’s testimony at the event to help encourage students to not only make responsible choices, but to wear your seat belt.

“Their life does not just affect them it affects everyone around them. To make good choices, practice safe habits, buckling their seat belt. We were blessed with Blake’s story we know he wasn’t drinking and driving or texting or talking, but he wasn’t strapped up. His entire story is a story of God’s faithfulness so we’re blessed with that and I want that for those kids that they build their life ina way that they leave behind a legacy and walk away with no regrets,” says Kristie Jumper.

A junior at Wheeler High School, Angelica Copeland says the crash demonstration was an eye opening experience.

“During the car crash and everything the Demonstration that we did, it was really like surreal and how it can happen so quick and the mother coming and everything was just so real it happens to us everyday it’s scary,” says Angelica Copeland.

Ray Hall the organizer of “stop the Knock” says he hopes the students will retain what they learned.

“If we can get one student to make a good decision whether it’s choosing not to drink and drive on whether its choosing not to drive down the road without their seat belt or whether it’s to choose to make good responsible decisions knowing that you have one chance, you can’t rewind. It will be all worth it,” says Hall.

16 to 24 year olds also have the highest cell phone use while driving. If you would like to learn more information just contact Public Affairs Division of Mississippi Hwy Patrol.