Local High School Students to Experience the Harsh Realities of Drunk Driving

Edgar Snyder Save A Life Tour Offers ‘Shock Jock-Like' Approach to DUI Education

PITTSBURGH, PA—Ask any high school principal about drunk driving education for teens, and they'll likely tell you they feel like a broken record. School officials desperately want to save lives, but they're no longer sure how to make a lasting impact. The Edgar Snyder Save A Life Tour is on a mission to prevent drunk driving among teens in a most unique way.

The Edgar Snyder Save A Life Tour will travel to five local high schools from Monday, Oct. 15 to Friday, Oct. 19 – just a few days before the start of Red Ribbon Week, which encourages students to live a drug-free lifestyle. Thousands of students will experience the tragic reality of what happens to the nearly 12,000 victims of Pennsylvania drunk driving accidents every year.

"We help the victims of drunk driving, so we're passionate about supporting prevention programs," says Attorney Edgar Snyder, who has helped victims of drunk driving for over 40 years. "We're sponsoring the Edgar Snyder Save A Life Tour to educate teens in a way that we hope will leave a profound impact."

Following a graphic video and personal testimony from a drunk driving accident survivor, students will have a chance to "drive" a multi-million dollar DUI simulator – the same one used to train pilots and military personnel worldwide. The DUI simulator's interior resembles a Ford Taurus and reacts differently to each student based on size and weight, enabling students to feel like they're actually driving a car. Students will navigate a virtual landscape filled with various environments and road conditions. They will be able to see their control of the vehicle and reaction time change as their level of impairment increases.

"We are looking forward to the Edgar Snyder Save A Life Tour," says Melissa Friez, principal of Allderdice High School, which will host the tour on Oct. 18. "It's something these teens won't soon forget…and that may make all the difference."

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that drunk driving has decreased among teenagers over the past two decades, statistics are still frightening. Over 2,000 teens ages 16-19 die annually from accidents involving alcohol. In 2011, nearly a million teens age 16 and older drove under the influence.

The Edgar Snyder Save A Life Tour schedule is as follows: Apollo-Ridge High School (Oct. 15), Baldwin High School (Oct. 16), North Allegheny Senior High School (Oct. 17), Allderdice High School (Oct. 18), and Moon High School (Oct. 19). Red Ribbon Week will be celebrated at schools across the state from Oct. 23-31.

Edgar Snyder & Associates is a plaintiff's personal injury law firm representing people hurt in all types of accidents. Office locations include Pittsburgh, Altoona, Ebensburg, Erie and Johnstown, Pa. As part of the firm's mission to reduce drunk driving accidents, Edgar Snyder & Associates encourages the public to sign its Safe & Sober pledge on the Facebook fan page. High school seniors are encouraged to enter the Edgar Snyder college scholarship contest by submitting a proposal to prevent drunk driving or distracted driving. For more information, visit www.edgarsnyder.com.