text: The light from the large projection screen glared, flashing across the dark auditorium. Enlarge
  Though a chipper young man appeared in the video, talking and moving with an optimistic pep in his step, an eerie silence fell over the room. The students at South Terrebonne High School knew something bad was about to happen. At mid-sentence, the young man's body was thrown into the air after being struck by a car driven by a drunken driver. The juniors and seniors in the assembly simultaneously gasped and groaned in shock and horror. "Oh my God," one student said in the distance. "That's crazy," said another. Soon, a low rumble spread around the auditorium and gradually grew louder as the kids exchanged comments with their peers. A row of officers from Louisiana State Police Troop C and the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office lined the walls of the room. They appeared satisfied they had made an impact on the students, who will soon take part in one of the most anticipated nights of a teenager's life — senior prom. "Drinking and driving is a violent crime just like shooting someone, just like murdering someone," said Danny Smith, drug and DWI Court coordinator for the Terrebonne District Attorney's Office. "In this country, every two minutes someone is injured by a drunk driver," Smith said. "Every 45 minutes someone is killed by a drunk driver. And during prom and graduation months, it is estimated that nearly 700 youth will die from alcohol-related crashes." Presentations like these are done annually at local high schools. The sponsoring agencies alternate between Acadian Ambulance Service and the District Attorney's Office. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office hosted one April 10 at Thibodaux High School. South Terrebonne was the first stop in Terrebonne Parish this year. And Smith thinks it was a success. "We go into all the high schools and do crash films and show them some bad wrecks and DWI crashes and statistics about the number of crashes caused by people impaired by drinking or drugs. We show them the consequences for people arrested for DWI," Smith said. "I think it went fantastic at South Terrebonne. The kids were very attentive, and they took it very seriously. I feel like we'll be very successful in that the kids are going to have a fun and safe prom and graduation and carry it on to later in life, remembering today's lesson." Part of that lesson was reiterating 21 as the legal drinking age and that no motorist is allowed to have a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher. But the limit for those under 21 to drink and drive is only .02, so Smith and the officers were sure to differentiate between the two. "So how many drinks does that mean you can have to drive if you're under 21?" Smith asked the students. "None," they responded in chorus. "It's important to tell them that because a lot of times people under 21 don't realize the difference between the two when it comes to what they can consume and still drive and not be charged," said Smith. "We tell them it's zero tolerance for drinking, and that if they even have one drink, it's over the limit."According to a 2012 report from the Highway Safety Research Group at Louisiana State University, out of the nine parishes with 50,000 to 100,000 licensed drivers, Lafourche ranked sixth in the number of fatalities with six alcohol-related crashes. It ranked second in the number of injuries from alcohol-related crashes with 92. Terrebonne ranked third in both categories with nine deaths and 104 injuries. South Terrebonne High junior, Makayla Parfait, 16, said her family is sadly part of that number. "I have experience with that because I lost a family member to drinking and driving, so I'm very open to listening to stuff like this," Parfait said. "I lost my 3-year-old little cousin when his mom and dad took their kids to an adult party with them. Both of them were drinking, and the dad drove. They strapped all kids in except the 3-year-old. They were going really fast and hit a low curb, flipped, and he died on impact. Everyone was hurt except the driver." Parfait said the presentation taught her things she didn't know such as the multiple fines for impaired driving, which vary depending on the offense. DWI offenders pay court fees and fines for required substance abuse courses and can face up to 30 years in prison. "I learned the consequences of drinking and driving. Not just with the law but with life and what it'd be like to live with yourself if you drink and drive and hurt someone," Parfait said. "I also didn't know that you lose your license and other freedoms."Parfait said she's already made up her mind not to succumb to peer pressure for her prom. "I know people going to prom will be drinking. I hear a lot of them saying 'yeah I'm not going to drink,' but everybody knows they will. But for me, to be safe, I'll just stay sober and not drink and drive," she said. "But because I know there will be drunk drivers on the road, I'll just pay attention to the road, don't text or be distracted and focus on where I'm going." Trooper Evan Harrell, Louisiana State Police Troop C spokesman, presented various devices used to assure offenders don't drink and drive again. The traditional device requires a past offender to blow into it before the vehicle's ignition starts. Another deters sober friends from blowing into the device in someone else's place by snapping a photo. Another resembles ankle monitors used for people on house arrest. It attaches around the ankle and measures alcohol secreted through sweat. "We will catch you. So be responsible for yourself and your friends," Harrell said. "If your friend has been drinking, take the keys. Make sure they don't get behind the wheel of a car."Harrell said the toughest part of a trooper's job is to knock on a family's door in the middle of the night to report a death from an alcohol-related crash. "It's heartbreaking. Family members fall out right in front of us sometimes," he said. "You can always learn from your mistakes, but it's better to learn before you make them."Here's a list of drunken-driving presentations coming up at other Terrebonne high schools. There will be no others in Lafourche. n 8:30 a.m. Monday at Ellender Memorial High School. n 9 a.m. Thursday at H. L. Bourgeois High School. n 9:30 a.m. April 30 at Terrebonne High School.