Posters warn kids of drunk driving

By DAMARYS OCANA
Herald Staff Writer

The image, in a poster drawn by Sunset High senior Richard Fischer, is one of three winners in an anti-drunk driving contest sponsored by Metro-Dade Police. The contest was the climax of a months-long program where students were shown, not just told, the consequences of drunk driving.

The posters were displayed Thursday morning at Incredible Universe, 7800 NW 29th St. -- purposely on the eve of prom season, when police say many kids are drawn into drinking and driving.

Each winner, chosen by students from 24 participating schools, received a new personal computer donated by the store and a plaque bearing a miniature of his poster.

Richard calls his poster a celebration of life -- things that you could miss out on if you drink and drive.

His work, like the other two, bears the slogan of Metro-Dade's campaign against teenage drunk driving: ``Don't Let Alcohol Be Your Last Taste of Life.''

Another winner, Sophonie Petithomme, 17, a Central High junior, drew a prom scene. But it's not a usual prom: a lone skeleton-couple dances in the background while a third skeleton, smiling grimly, holds a can of beer in the foreground. A signpost reads: ``Last dance of '96.''

``I realized how some people take life for granted and throw it away,'' said Sophonie.

Kent Hernandez, 16, a sophomore at Coral Park High, drew a stark scene: Two wrecked sports cars burn together, the smoke forming a skull. A dead teenage girl lies in one of the cars. A dead teenage boy, his head cracked and bleeding, lies face down on the ground as a bottle of vodka empties beside him.

``I wanted to portray the most horrible aspect of drunk driving,'' he said. ``I don't drink and I wouldn't ever take that chance of that happening to me.''

Although teen alcohol-related accident deaths dwindled from three in 1994 to none last year, the drunk-driving message is one that Metro-Dade Police feel cannot be repeated enough. Officers, certified as instructors, bring a multimedia message to high school kids starting every October.

Accident survivors visit and share their experiences. Students see mock car crashes and graphic slides from drunk-driving accidents involving teens.

``I've seen kids who hold up their book bags to hide that they're crying,'' said officer Tracy Murphy, who coordinates the nationally award-winning program, now in its third year. ``It hits home. We always run out of time because there are so many questions.''