'His life is just beginning, Dad, why did I have to take it?'; High School Students Depict the Tragedy of Drunk Driving in More Than 180 Winning Poems

    LINCOLN, R.I.--May 7, 2002--In a unique program aimed at reducing drunk-driving incidents among high school students during prom and graduation season, over 180 students from around the United States submitted award-winning poems to the sponsor of the program, Amica Insurance.
    In what Amica Insurance calls its Save the Night program, each chosen high school, from which a poem was chosen, received a $1,000 grant from Amica (total exceeding $180,000) to underwrite the school's post-prom or graduation party. To become eligible for the $1,000 grants, students at over 900 schools across the country entered original poems about the dangers of drinking and driving.
    "We are glad that we can provide the monetary support to high schools across the country to help parents and teachers keep teens safe on prom and graduation nights," said Patricia M. O'Hara, Sr. Advertising and Public Relations Coordinator. "The real substance of the Save the Night program is found in the educational exercise of creating the poems. Writing the poems encourages high school students to address the issue of drinking and driving and compels them to think and talk about the dangers of drunk driving."
    A complete list of $1,000 grant recipients and a sample of winning poems can be found on www.amica.com by clicking on the Young Driver tab in the lower left-hand corner of the homepage. For additional information about the program or to obtain a Save the Night planning guide or posters, call 1-800-622-6422, ext. 2100.

    Note: The headline was taken from a winning poem written by Matt Craig, a student at Orange County High School in Orange, Virginia.
    The poem is entitled "After Prom Night."

    I remembered what you told me, Dad, remembered what you said.
    I only had two beers, Dad, and now my friend is dead.
    I didn't drive too far, Dad, I swear I didn't speed.
    I didn't see the car, Dad, but I watched my best friend bleed.
    I swear I heard him scream, Dad, I thought this couldn't be.
    I talked to the police, Dad, they said the scream was me.
    I can't believe he's gone. I only had two beers, Dad, we were only having fun.
    Why didn't I listen to you, Dad. I guess I didn't think.
    This has to be a dream, Dad, there's no way this can be.
    He's lying in a ditch, Dad, I wish that it were me.
    He didn't touch the beer, Dad, but I'm the one alive.
    He never drank a drop, Dad, I should have let him drive.
    I saw the other car, Dad, it had a baby seat.
    I cannot see the baby, Dad, I only see his feet.
    He's laying on a stretcher, Dad, they say he may not make it.
    His life is just beginning, Dad, why did I have to take it?

    Amica Insurance, founded in 1907, is the nation's oldest mutual insurer of automobiles. The company, with corporate headquarters in Lincoln, Rhode Island, is a national writer of automobile, homeowners, boat, and personal excess umbrella insurance.