Drunk Teen Tries to Get Behind the Wheel
Dec. 3, 2010 — -- "Teenager Killed in Drunk Driving Accident" is a heartbreaking, all-too-familiar headline. Statistics show that an average of four people under the age of 21 die every day in alcohol-related crashes, according to the Century Council, a distillers' group against drunk driving. We couldn't help but wonder -- how many of those lives been saved by someone's intervention?
On a damp, late fall day, we sent our "What Would You Do?" team armed with hidden cameras to the town of Montclair, N.J., to put people to the test. Would anyone who sees an obviously drunk teen trying to climb behind the wheel step in and prevent him from driving away?
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First, we send our young actor, Nick, stumbling along the sidewalk to his parked car, keys in hand. It doesn't take long for someone to notice our tipsy teen and lend a helping hand.
Our first Good Samaritan approaches our actor, asking, "You all right?"
Falling to the ground, Nick mumbles, "I'm fine, bro."
The man persists, asking, "You drunk?"
"No, I'm perfectly fine," Nick answers.
The man doesn't buy it and gets straight to the point.
"You don't look perfectly fine. You can't drive like this," he says.
When Nick falls to the ground, the man calmly leads him to a nearby chair and pleads with him to "relax," saying he has no intention of letting him drive in his current condition. But when our actor insists on leaving, the man guides him back to his seat and calls 911.
But instead of the police, we show up. Our host, John Quinones, asks, "So what happened?" The man replies, "Your instincts just tell you, you know, just to help this guy out."
Not everyone who sees our intoxicated teen offers to help. In fact, several people walk right on by as our actor falls to the ground after dropping his keys. But as our day continues, it's clear that more and more people want to help out, and in more ways than one.
One woman looks on from across the street in disbelief, uncertain what to do. After seeing Nick fall as he staggers into his car, she picks up her phone and dials 911. When we catch up with her, we learn that she has a deeply personal reason to get involved.
