Instructors teach driving safety for personal reasons

A teenager often feels invincible, but the lesson Tuesday is about how they’re not.

“The teachers came to us and wanted us to expose their students to DUI classes and safety belt classes,” said Fountain School Resource Officer Charles Kull.

The lessons they’re learning today can be the difference between life and death.

Just ask Robert Scott, a Colorado Springs Police Department volunteer.

“My son was in a bad car accident in 1988,” he said. “Seven kids in the car, no seat belts. Two kids died and my son is still paralyzed in one leg from the accident.”

Scott considers himself lucky.

The day of the accident, doctors told him his son wouldn’t live through the night.

They were wrong.

Now he uses that experience to teach kids about driving safety.

Scott uses visuals, like this seat belt simulator, which exposes the rider to a sudden stop at just 7 mph and the effect it can have when a child is unbuckled.

“When I tell them, this is my son, I’d say it hits home right there. That’s why I do this,” Scott said.

They also drove a golf cart while wearing glasses which blur your vision, simulating a drunken driver.

It’s a message well-received by some students who won’t bow to peer pressure.

“I think it’s important, they know not to try to get me to do it,” said 15-year-old Gavin Green.

Even if Scott only reaches one person, it’s worth his effort.

“It’s why I do it, it has a special place in my heart.”

Last year, about 20 kids showed up for the demonstration.

But more teachers saw the lesson, and wanted their students involved, too.

The school resource officers organize the weeklong classes, and say that enrollment is up to 60 students per class.