The posters invited the community to attend, but made it clear it wasn't for children.
MADD Canada's presentation "Damages," with its graphic images, horrifying story and emotional true accounts of loss of life due to impaired driving, played at Maidstone High School Tuesday.
Audience members were visibly shaken by the stories and were given something to ponder.
Jason Kliiger, a 25-year-old member of the Canadian Forces who is now working with MADD Canada introduced the film that will play to over a million people this year. He explained the two main reasons he travels with the presentation.
"We know that in the 15- to 25-year age range the number one reason you'd die is in an impaired driving incident and that one-third of all who die from impaired driving are in that age range."
The second reason he gave was to put a face to the story, so the audience would see more than just statistics, but he did share the numbers stating a current average of four deaths per day in Canada due to impaired driving.
The video presented a fictional court case with flashbacks to a night of partying, drinking, drug use and a fatal crash. It was followed by the stories of three real Canadian families.
One young woman spoke of losing her parents while she was still young, a mother spoke of losing two sons a few years apart and a mother and brother spoke of losing their daughter and sister to impaired drivers.
Kliiger reminded the young people impaired driving accidents can be avoided. He said MADD Canada does not condone the use of alcohol or drugs, but if they are used there are other options including cabs, designated drivers and phone calls to parents even if they aren't very happy about it.
"Don't have anything before getting behind the wheel, just don't get behind the wheel, find a safe way home. Do not get into a vehicle with someone who is impaired," he said.
The assembly ended with a moment of silence to remember with honour and respect those friends and family members lost due to impaired driving and to reflect on the message of the presentation.
Maidstone High School, with a student body of 187, has 65 members in their SADD chapter, a third of the population, working together to share ideas and save lives.
