North Rockland high school students learned the importance of driving responsibly on Wednesday as part of the "No Empty Chair" campaign, which looks to educate teens ahead of prom and graduation.

Hundreds of students, mostly seniors, saw a mock crash, including how first responders step in and the arrest of a young driver.

There was also a driving simulator with the Rockland Sheriff's Office, students drove a go-kart with goggles that replicate the feeling of being impaired, and a rollover simulator with dummies that showed why seatbelts are important.

Officials from the North Rockland area and the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee are looking to drive the safety message home to students there.

Mary Tanner-Richter, the DMV deputy commissioner, was at North Rockland High School on Wednesday morning.

"The hope is the people here today are going to spread that word to maybe their friends that aren't here and it'll be that little niggling thought in their head just before they get into a car when they shouldn't and they will make a better decision," Tanner-Richter said. "Instead of saying this is what can happen, it's showing them what can happen," said Hunter, a junior at North Rockland who pretended to be hurt in the mock crash. He understands the importance of sober driving from his time with a local ambulance corp. "Since I started riding on the ambulance, about two years ago now, I have seen many accidents caused by drunk driving. So trying to get this message across to the students will definitely help."

According to federal data, car crashes are a leading cause of death and serious injuries to those between 16 and 20 years old.