- December 14, 2025
With high school proms approaching next month, Flagler County Sheriff Donald W. Fleming has launched an initiative to educate Flagler County teens about the dangers of partying with alcohol.
“Each year across the nation, young lives are lost to drunk drivers,” he said, in a release. “It takes all of us to keep our teenagers safe and educated on the dangers of mixing alcohol and vehicles.”
School Resource and Traffic Unit deputies led interactive safe-driving lessons at Matanzas High School the morning of Friday, April 13, discussing teenage drinking with students.
“We want these youngsters to come home safe. Our objective is to give them tools to help them make good decisions,” Fleming added.
More than 40 Matanzas students took part in lessons April 13, beginning with writing letters of apology to their parents on the premise that they had died in a crash after drinking and driving.
The students then assembled at the school’s stadium, where each wore vision-impaired goggles and attempted to drive a golf cart, which was covered in cloth to mimic night, through a course outlined with cones.
Those students with cell phones were also called by deputies as they took off around the course. The simulation had the impaired student driving at night and talking on a cell phone.
Every student who participated made contact with at least 10 cones.
“I think this is something that has an impact on these teenagers. They get a good idea of how dangerous distracted or impaired driving really is and, hopefully, they take it with them every time they step into a vehicle,” said Don Apperson, student resource deputy corporal.
The Matanzas prom is scheduled May 12, at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine. Flagler Palm Coast High School’s prom is set for May 11 at the Hilton Inn in Daytona Beach.
