VIDALIA — Members of the Vidalia Police Department are hoping that seeing the potential destruction that can come from drinking and driving will deter locals from getting behind the wheel after drinking.

Two heavily damaged vehicles were stationed earlier this week on Carter Street — one at the foot of the Mississippi River Bridge and another in front of Vidalia High School — with signs that read “Don’t drink and drive: This could be you!”

Vidalia Police Chief Arthur Lewis said his officers approached him with the idea of putting the cars around the city after having seen it done elsewhere.

“We started talking about it and how it would be good to put them out now with prom and spring break coming up for our high school students and college kids coming back home,” Lewis said. “This is a time of excitement for a lot of these kids, and we know they are going to get out there and drink and participate in other social activities.

“We, as law enforcement officers and also as parents, wanted to do something to deter them from doing things that could have serious consequences.”

Records clerk Tassika Morales said the police department partnered with A1 Towing and Curtis Wrecker, who provided the wrecked vehicles, to ensure the vehicles placed around the city would not offend any residents.

“We had to think about how people would respond to these,” Morales said. “We wanted to make sure nobody’s family members had been involved in those accidents, because we don’t want to bring up those kinds of memories.”

Lewis said he hopes residents seeing the damaged vehicles as they are driving will cause motorists to more seriously consider the negative impact of drinking and driving.

“As law enforcement officers, we get calls on accidents and see things like that every day, but not everyone does see that,” Lewis said. “Our goal or intention was to put it all into perspective and hopefully deter these tragic accidents from even happening.”

Vidalia High School’s prom is this weekend, followed by spring break vacation for all Concordia Parish schools next week.

Lewis said the cars would stay out through the vacation time and possibly even longer if they prove to be effective.

“We’ve gotten a lot of calls about them already, and I think they’re working,” Lewis said. “As long as it’s having the right effect, they’ll stay out.”

Lewis said the department’s three school resource officers would join the existing officers who patrol the city next week to increase patrol throughout the spring break vacation.

“We’re all about ensuring the safety of our children, because they really are our future,” Lewis said. “Whatever we can do to keep the residents of Vidalia safe, we’re going to do it.”

Morales said the police department also partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the City of Vidalia, Concordia Parish Chamber of Commerce, the Concordia Parish School Board, Rhino Graphics and Southern Designs to complete the project.