A story we aim to cover every year is one of the mock DWI accidents organized for local students and their families.

Plenty of people go to these events, but too often the people that do attend are the ones who are most aware of the dangers of drinking and driving. Our hope is that by putting the story in the paper, we might grab the attention of a few additional readers who might think twice about their actions. Even if just one more person is moved to be more careful, the coverage is worth it.

Photography has always been a part of the print coverage of these mock DWI accidents, which can be quite graphic in their depictions of the aftermath of a crash. The photos we've run are also graphic, certainly not images we would publish if the situation was real. And we try to be clear with our headlines, cutlines and stories that this is a staged event.

But it's precisely the disturbing nature of the scene that causes some people to wake up.

This year, we once again covered a mock DWI when the Auburn High School SADD chapter put one together for the community on May 5. The images in the paper were indeed graphic, but my hope is that it spurred a few conversations between parents and their children about making the right choices.

This past week, we've gone one step further. For the first time since we've been covering these events, we've also put together a video story. It can be seen in the local videos section at our Web site, www.auburnpub.com, or by going directly to www.auburnpub.com/local_videos.

Before you check it out, be prepared for some extremely graphic footage. But please understand why we've decided this is an important video story to produce.

We're now in the heart of prom and graduation season, and that brings extra worry about drinking and driving for plenty of us. Perhaps, though, some parents will see the video and have their teenagers spend three minutes of their time to check it out. I'm also hoping that some adults - teens aren't the only people who engage in this activity - might see it and at least give pause the next time they've had too much to drink.

There's a chance this video might upset some people who feel it goes too far. The same folks might say the same thing if they attended one of these mock DWIs in person.

While I understand those concerns, ultimately the potential benefits of putting this out there outweigh the risks.

Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's column appears Saturdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net