Harper students to get sobering look at impaired driving

More than three people under the age of 21 are killed each day in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Add to that the high rate of texting-while-driving accidents - at the rate of one in every five minutes - and the roads can be a dangerous place for young people.

Harper College students will get a lesson in these dangers when the national Save a Life Tour pays a visit to the Student Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, on the College's main campus, 1200 W. Algonquin Road in Palatine.

Billed as the nation's most advanced high-impact alcohol awareness program, the Save a Life Tour uses one-of-a-kind drunk driving and texting simulators designed to give students a realistic experience of impaired driving.

The hands-on activities are combined with hard-hitting video testimonials shown on giant monitors sharing tragic, personal stories of lost loved ones.

The Save a Life Tour is part of Campus Activities Board's continued efforts to raise awareness of high-risk driving behavior. In November, the organization brought motivational speaker Mark Sterner to campus to speak about his own experiences with drunk driving. The campus also hosted state lawmakers in 2012 to promote AT&T Illinois' "It Can Wait" campaign to curb texting while driving.