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According to recent statistics, every 22 minutes there is someone killed by a drunk driver... To emphasize this fact to High School students and to help deter them from drinking and driving, the Washington State Patrol introduced to us a project called the 22 Minute Program. On May 9th, 2002, a "grim reaper" wandered the halls of the Soap Lake High School for the first time and, every 22 minutes, took a "victim" from a classroom. This victim was dressed in black and was considered dead for the rest of the school day. As the program progressed, the "deceased" were also joined by other "accident victims" with various "injuries". Some of the students were "arrested" by Chief Stokoe for Vehicular Homicide, dressed in orange jump suits, then placed in handcuffs and leg shackles. The victims and suspects were then required to spend that night at the High School. This helped emphasize to the student and his or her family the impression of leaving home one morning and having not returned because of the actions of drinking and driving. Imagine..... being the parent of this student and to not have this student come home after school. Imagine..... being told your child has been arrested for Vehicular Homicide. Imagine..... being told that your child was injured or permanently maimed by a drunk driver and is hospitalized. Imagine..... being told your child will never return home. Imagine..... you're the drunk driver that killed someone's child, or maybe even your own.
Below are pictures taken at the High School during the program.
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