SPANISH FORT, Ala. — If you drive past the front of Spanish Fort High School you might notice a mangled car. The car is part of Operation 40 Proof.

“We put the cars out to have a visual effect on not drinking and driving,” organizer Marie Stringfellow of Operation 40 Proof said.

Samantha Leffard, who teaches driver’s ed at the high school said it is important that students see the wrecked car.

Stringfellow said that their mission for drivers is simple: Be responsible and plan ahead before you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle and get out on the highway.

If you plan on drinking alcohol during the holiday season make sure there is a designated driver who is not, Stringfellow said.

“We really push the designated driver program,” she said.

The name of the program was chosen for the 40 days between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

This is the first year the program has been offered on the Eastern Shore, Tim Cockrell, manager of Cockrell’s Paint and Body Shop, said.

Cars are showcased near prominent highways or locations after permission is obtained from city, county and state levels. Local body shops donate and place the vehicles. Cockrell said he wanted to promote awareness of the hazards of drinking and driving all the time, but thinks the holiday season requires special emphasis.

“I mean, we see day in and day out some of the effects of drinking and driving. We pull in wrecks where there are fatalities, and we want to partner with folks so the two don’t mix. It’s just not worth it,” Cockrell said.

The city of Mobile’s engineering department makes the placards for the cars which list the sponsor. If someone has had too much to drink, they can call a hotline number for a free ride home and possibly a tow home. Three wrecker services in Mobile as well as Cockrell’s Body Shop in Daphne are participating.

In addition to the wrecked vehicles as a reminder to have a designated drives, many corporations will call and ask for information about the program to put in employee packets. Some banks will also give out the information to customers.

The U.S. Coast Guard asks for information to hand out and sometimes will have a display car. Stringfellow said a lot more high schools are requesting to be part of the program. When the program first began, Stringfellow said they received “a ton of calls.” The calls have diminished greatly so it appears people are being more responsible and they don’t need to call us as much, she said. She hopes that when people see the wrecked cars, she hopes it will remind them to be extra cautious and watch what they do when they drive.

“It is a combined effort of a group of people trying to bring awareness to the community,” she said.

City officials, local police and sheriff representatives and the Drug Education Council in Mobile and the Board of Health help with the effort. The Independent Insurance Association assists by advertising it on a billboard. The Daphne Police Department has been coming to the press conference that they hold each year. This year, she said the city of Daphne called and requested that an Operation 40 Proof car be placed in Daphne.

“We don’t look for a whole lot of reward out of it except for reduced deaths,” Stringfellow said.

Wreckers need to be available for people who need help in an emergency so try to make sure you don’t require wrecker services, she said. The hotline number is 251-460-8999.