Lt. Brian McCarthy explains crash extrication and the potential consequences of impaired and distracted driving. (Courtesy Dracut Fire Department)

DRACUT — The Dracut Police and Fire Departments teamed up with students and community partners to hold a mock crash at Dracut High School on Friday morning to educate students about the potential consequences of reckless and impaired driving.

As prom and graduation season approach, the police and fire departments teamed up with the Dracut High School students, Pridestar/TrinityEMS, Martineau’s Towing, and McKenna-Ouellette Funeral Home to present “Make a Date with Life,” an annual mock crash presented to high school seniors.

“We’re not trying to scare students. We are trying to educate them about the potentially awful consequences of driving while distracted or impaired,” said Fire Chief Michael Cunha. “Prom and graduation season should be a fun and exciting time in the lives of these young people, and we want to use education to help keep them safe.”

Students from Dracut High School played the roles of both drivers and passengers involved in a motor vehicle crash between two vehicles donated by Martineau’s Towing. The Dracut Fire Department, Dracut Police, and Pridestar/Trinity EMS then worked together to respond to the crash as they would in a real scenario.

Dracut Firefighters used hydraulic tools to cut the roof off of one of the vehicles to free an entrapped occupant. Representatives of McKenna-Ouellette Funeral Home responded to take the body of a student who portrayed being dead.

Dracut Police performed a field sobriety test on one of the students who portrayed a driver, and then arrested that student for operating under the influence and using a handheld device while driving.

“‘Make a Date with Life’ has been a tradition in Dracut for about two decades now, and we are grateful for the essential support of our community partners and Dracut High School,” said Police Chief Peter Bartlett. “As first responders, we have seen far too many lives lost or forever changed as a result of distracted and impaired driving. We want to make sure our young people are aware of what can happen if they don’t drive responsibly.”